Apex85: Well, I didn't plan it to be an interrogation about being a couple. Just an interrogation as to why, even though, as far as the rest of the class was aware, they had only known each other for half a month and were so friendly with one and other. Two people being together constantly like that, when they're supposed to be little more than strangers, is kind of weird, ya know? Seeing it day in and day out every single day, you'd really start to wonder. Regardless, it seems it came off that way, so I concede that perhaps I should have waited a little longer. But, it made sense to me, so I stand by it. Things just kind of came out that way during the writing of the scene, I guess. My bad, I suppose.
Eh, I could've seen it going one of those ways. And I definitely think she'd do something to get him back, and rest assured, she will do something to get him back. But it just didn't come out that way when I wrote it, so I'll save her retaliation for later.
Oh, lucky you then, cause I'll give it to you right now. Laura came in first, Fie was second, Rean was third, Jusis and Gaius were tied for fourth, Machias was fifth, Alisa was sixth, Emma was seventh, and Elliot was eighth, making him the weakest.
Yeah, I actually really loved that part too. Writing it and reading it. I had thought about using Machias or someone else, but I felt it'd work best with Jusis, so...yeah, I went with him. As for my mistake with the feet thing, well, technically, none of the characters said feet. So...it's not technically a mistake. It was to describe it. When I have characters speak of distance, I will use the measurement system from Trails. As to why I didn't use it in the plain writing, I only have a rough grasp on how their measurement system works. Like, if I'm inferring correctly, I believe two arge is about six or seven feet, right? If I'm wrong, please correct me.
GeassKing101: You bet your ass I'm a Rean X Fie fan. That is the only couple for me in this whole damn game universe that is Legend of Heroes. My one exception is Rean X Harem, which Fie must be in to even count. Some people might not like that or give me flak for it, but I don't care.
RedBurningDragon: I suppose. And perhaps it could give me some good ideas for moves, so, yeah, I'll probably pick up a copy of one of the entries, or at least look it up on Youtube. We'll just have to see how it goes and whatnot. Good, I'm glad you're enjoying it.
jamesb497: Thank you, I'm glad you think so. Good, and here's the next one.
8Swords: Not a bad suggestion at all. I'll most definitely try it out.
Hey, who knows, could happen, I haven't decided yet.
As the story goes on, I do intend to flesh out the characters as much as possible. We'll just see where it goes, ya know? Though that's not a bad idea for Gaius, perhaps I'll use that...who knows?
All I'll say on the matter is Rean will learn to control his demon form, and when he does, unlike in the game at times, he will be a force to be truly reckoned with. Beside that, he will grow stronger on his own merit as well.
I appreciate your knowledge on the German language, and while I can't guarantee it'll pop up too much, I can promise Sara will still use it to certain degrees throughout the story. Also, thank you. :)
ZealousSiren: They are, aren't they? The field studies are going to have different groupings, and I've already got them drawn up in my notes, so, you shall see how that works soon. No problem at all, I enjoyed the chapter, so I reviewed, simple as that. Yes, yes we do. Let us do our absolute best to do so, my friend. :)
Jose19: Is that so? Alright, find it amusing, I don't care. Laura huh? Yeah, I'll admit, she's one of my favorites too. Fie is my absolute favorite, then Sara. Millium, Sharon and Altina too, all tied or close to it, then Laura, then Claire, Elise and Towa, followed by Emma, with Alisa pulling up the rear. And...why did I just, ah forget it. Moving on.
Tsyne-Oblivion: I'm glad you love it. Don't know if Alisa is jealous per se, more like that just kind of struck me as something she would go on about, since she is becoming friends with them, and it is weird for supposed strangers to be so close. But hey, if that's the way you see it, go right ahead, don't let me stop you man. Though, there is a chance jealousy could be shown later, I mean, who knows? Rean is quite the ladies man when you think about it. As for other ships, or pairings, I don't know. It just depends really. Depends on what? If I feel like they go well together, or belong together, etc. You be you guy, if that means acting like Munk, right on. Besides, Munk is cool anyway. :P
Once more, thanks to all those who reviewed, and allow me to thank those who have added this story to their favorites and alerts since the last update. Apex85, jamesb497 and TheCrimsonGhost309, thank you!
Before we get into it, I had said the first real battle would be in this chapter. I was wrong, it will be in the next one. I had projected it to go here, hell, I had projected to wrap the whole field study up, but I decided to push it back to the next one. Sorry about that!
Alright, let's start. Part two of chapter one is here. Please read, review and enjoy.
ACT I - CHAPTER I - PART II
...
Septian Calendar 1204
4/21 - Wednesday
It was time, the practical exam had come. So the entirety of Class VII was gathered at the academy field.
"Okay! Let's get your practical exam started, shall we?" Sara began enthusiastically. "To be completely clear from the outset, this exam is about more than just testing your physical strength and stamina. I already have a fair idea on where you all stand there. It's designed to hone in on how capable you are of making strategic combat decisions on the fly, and more importantly, to properly acquaint you with each other's fighting styles." She explicated. "Defeating your opponent quickly is a good thing, certainly...but it won't be enough to score you high marks here!" She clarified.
"Hmph. Interesting." Jusis commented.
"Acquaint us with each other's fighting styles?" Alisa repeated. "That would mean we'll be fighting together, or..."
"Against each other, correct! Someone give this girl a gold star!" Sara exclaimed.
"What good is that going to do us, exactly?" Elliot inquired.
"I suppose learning through experience is the method she intends to use." Gaius reasoned.
"By having us fight one and other, we'll have to learn through the act of combat how our classmates maneuver. And in doing such, this will allow us to gain intimate knowledge of how they do battle, which will be invaluable in a team skirmish." Laura expounded her understanding of the matter. "It's a viable, even an efficient, method."
"Exacty." Sara confirmed Laura's words. "That's why although some of you have become friends, a certain few of you closer than others..." She pointedly gazed at Rean and Fie as she said this, to let them know she was specifying them. "...you can't hold back, even in the slightest. As it'll only end up hurting you in the end." She explained. "You will have to come at each other with everything you have, in order to get the most out of this exercise. Along those lines, this is more to benefit all of you than anything else, but I will still be grading your performance, so it falls under the exam parameters."
'So we'll all be fighting each other..." Rean thought to himself. 'I wonder who I'll be going up against.'
"I see. So then, how do we decide the matchups?" Machias queried.
The Instructor proceeded to answer. "As I've already said, this isn't really to test your physical capabilities. The matchups reflect that. But rather, if you can think on your feet and use strategy to overcome those more powerful than yourself, as well as to, of course, get you to know the workings of each other's fighting styles. So with that in mind, and taking into account certain matters among you, the pairings are as follows. The first round will be Alisa versus Emma."
"Number six versus number seven huh? I suppose that makes sense." Emma remarked, referring to her and Alisa's rankings among the class for overall combat ability.
"So it will be a completely ranged battle then." Alisa said to herself, already thinking about how that could potentially play out.
"The second round will be Machias versus Jusis." The jovial twenty something continued.
Jusis scoffed at this. "Of course."
"Looks like I'll finally get to knock you down a peg or two." Machias jabbed, to no reaction
"The third round will be Laura versus Gaius and Elliot." The pink haired instructor informed.
"I see. Then, I wish the two of you luck." Laura said pleasantly.
"Likewise." Gaius shared the swordwoman's sentiment.
"To be honest, I don't know that even the two of us together can beat you." Elliot admitted with a chuckle.
"And the fourth and final round will be Rean versus Fie." The yellow eyed female finished.
"Ahahaha, of course, I get the absolute worst opponent for me." Rean opined sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.
Fie didn't vocalize her feelings on the matter, simply looking toward her childhood friend for a few moments, before returning her gaze to Sara.
"Okay then, let's get started!"
...
"Not bad, not bad at all." Sara told the two girls, clapping a little as she did. "The victory goes to you Alisa."
"You certainly didn't make it easy for me." Alisa complimented, as she put away her bow.
"Thanks." Emma acknowledged her praise, lowering her orbal staff as she did. "I'd say it wasn't easy for me either, but I'm sure you already know that." She joked with a giggle.
"Onto the next one!"
...
"Well, this is clear cut, no room for interpretation. Jusis is the victor." Sara announced.
Down on his knees, the blade of Jusis's saber pressed against the side of his neck, Machias could only glare daggers at the noble, panting as he did. Jusis met the brash bespectacled teen's intense glare with a pointed look of triumph, panting just as he was.
"Time for round three!"
...
"Yeah, I was pretty sure this is how it'd turn out. Laura is victorious." Sara stated.
"That was a good battle. You two put up an admirable fight." Laura commended the two, as she put away her bastard sword.
"Thank you, we appreciate that." Gaius replied with gratitude, breathing a little heavily as he did, as he too put away his weapon.
"Yeah, thanks." Elliot affirmed their gratitude between his panting, near exhausted by that little fight.
"Alright, one more to go!"
...
"And here I thought that would last longer. Oh well I guess." Sara said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Fie triumphs."
"Yeah, this ended about as expected." Rean admitted sheepishly between ragged breaths, sheathing his tachi as he did.
Fie was silent, though frowning, clearly contemplating whether or not to speak. 'He held back...why?' She couldn't help but wonder to herself. She had figured he'd hold back a little, even expected it, everything considered. But the difference between the power she felt from him and that of which he had just demonstrated was, while not a huge gap, would have been enough to even the playing field considerably. Admittedly, she had held back as well, but only her special techniques. Excluding those, she came at him with all she had. 'So why?'
"Anyway, that brings this month's practical exam to an end." Sara proclaimed. "But as you might recall, I told you I had a big announcement for today too! Are you all ready to hear what it is?" She asked them with excitement. "I'll give you a hint. It's about a special part of Class VII's curriculum."
Returning her attention to Sara, Fie put away her gun swords, and fell back in line with the others, pushing that incident to the back of her mind as she did. She would deal with it later.
"Give up? Heh heh! It's really bugging you now, isn't it?" The energetic instructor queried. "Well, I'll come clean then." She told them, before clearing her throat. "The special task you're about to be assigned is none other than...a field study!"
"Field study?" Emma repeated with confusion.
"I don't like the sound of this one bit..." Machias muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.
"You'll be split into two groups, A and B, and each sent to a different location. And while you're there, you'll be given a number of tasks to complete. Doesn't that sound like fun?" Sara questioned them. None of them could figure out if it was a rhetorical one or not.
"Er...we only just got to the academy, and we're already being sent somewhere else?" Elliot inquired with confusion.
"Will you not be coming with us, Instructor?" Rean inquired further.
"Oh, of course not! It'd be much too easy for you if I were there to bail you out every time the waters of life came seeping in. You've got to be cruel to be kind, and all that!" She explicated much too jovially for all their tastes.
Alisa just sighed at this.
"Well, I'm certainly not opposed to a challenge if it allows me to advance my training." Laura remarked.
"Instructor Valestein. Where, exactly, will we be going? And when?" Jusis queried.
"Ah, yes, about that." Sara began. "As I said, you'll be split into group A and group B. Each of you, please come forward and take one of these to see how the groups have been divided, and where each is being sent." She instructed them, as she held out envelopes for them to take.
They did as she said, taking the envelopes and opening them up, reading the papers within them after they did. Which disclosed where they would be going, Group A to Celdic, and Group B to Parm. As well as who made up groups A and B. Group A consisted of Rean, Fie, Laura, Gaius and Elliot, while Group B was made up of Machias, Jusis, Emma and Alisa.
"Well, these are certainly some interesting groupings." Laura voiced her opinion.
"Celdic and Parm...are they both in Erebonia?" Gaius queried.
"Yeah, Celdic's a market town on the east side of the Empire." Elliot answered him.
"And Parm is situated in the deep south, it's known for it's spinners." Emma informed.
"Fie and I are in the same group huh? Well, that's nice at least." Rean said to himself quietly.
"Well, at least we won't be going far." Fie commented.
"I'm less worried about where we're going than the utter lack of sense that went into these groupings!" Machias voiced his aggravation. "I mean, are you high!? Why the hell would you ever put that pompous snob and I in the same group!?" The hotheaded teen demanded to know.
"Unbelievable..." Jusis sighed heavily, ignoring his fellow teen's words.
Sara did the same, as she went on to say, "You'll be leaving this weekend, and will be out in the field for two days time. Your means of reaching your respective locations will, of course, be by train. So do make sure you're thoroughly prepared, and raring to go before the big day!"
4/24 - Saturday
"Ah, good morning everyone!" Emma greeted pleasantly, as Group A entered the train station, where Group B was already waiting.
"Good morning." Rean returned the greeting.
"Looks like you guys are already good to go." Gaius noted.
"Yes. Parm is quite a distance from here though, so we're not likely to arrive before evening." The bespectacled girl stated.
"Hmm...considering its relative location, that seems to be an accurate estimate." Laura commented.
"I guess it is the southernmost town in Erebonia. Makes you realize just how big the Empire is." Elliot remarked. "But...umm..."
"They're still at it." Gaius observed.
And indeed they were, both Machias and Jusis stubbornly looking away from the other, their backs to each other, almost like two toddlers giving one and other the silent treatment.
"Have they been like this the entire time?" Rean inquired.
"I'm afraid so." Alisa answered with a sigh.
"I think we may have underestimated how deeply rooted their differences are." The brunette added.
"That might be an understatement." The tallest of them said.
"You'd think that battle they had would've absolved some of the animosity between them, but, if anything, it only seems to have exacerbated the situation." The blonde girl explicated.
"I'm not even in the same group, and I'm already sick of'em." Fie gave her two cents on the matter.
"Passenger service bound for...Heimdallr...now arriving on platform two. We ask that all customers utilizing this service please wait on the platform until the train has come to a complete stop." Came a voice over the intercom suddenly, announcing the imminent arrival of the next train.
"Hmph." That was all the vocalization from Jusis, before he walked away from the others, heading for the train platform.
"Time to go." Machias informed the others, before doing the same.
"Well, best of luck. Though here's hoping you don't need it." The raven haired seventeen year old bid them luck.
"Getting those two to work together sure doesn't seem like it'll be an easy task." The orange haired sixteen year old added.
"We'll do what we can. But we can't make any promises." Alisa replied with another sigh.
"Good luck to all of you. Please take care." Laura bid them goodbye.
"Later." Was Fie's simple farewell.
"Yeah, see you guys soon." Emma returned the sentiment.
The two remaining members of Group B walked away then, following after their two other members.
"I wonder if they'll be okay..." The shy orbal staff wielder vocalized his thoughts.
"Well, Emma being with them should keep things from getting too out of hand. I'm sure Alisa will do her best to help in that regard as well." Rean reasoned. "But, it is just the two of them. They're gonna have to keep those two from fighting, while also trying to get their tasks done. So...yeah, it's definitely not an ideal situation."
"I'm concerned for them as well, but I believe we should be focusing on our own trials right now." Laura reminded.
"You're right." Rean agreed. "Let's go buy our tickets."
The five had just taken their seats, Rean, Fie and Elliot in one booth, and Laura and Gaius in the one directly adjacent from them, when the train began moving.
"Umm...so, it's about an hour to Celdic from here, right?" Elliot questioned.
"Yes, I believe so." Laura answered. "I had to change trains there when I originally came to Trista."
"You and me both." Rean commented.
"Oh yes, you're from Ymir." The swordswoman recalled. "I suppose we both know how it is to come from rather remote parts of the country."
"Yeah, I suppose we do." The dark haired boy agreed. "Anyway, as I understand it, Celdic is mostly known as a merchant town, right?" He went on to query his orange haired friend.
"Yeah, that's been their main source of tourism for some time, mostly thanks to the Grand Market." He explained.
"You know, it couldn't hurt to go over what we know about the town before we got there." Gaius put forth.
And so, they did.
...
"You know what, I'm kinda looking forward to this now!" Elliot said with excitement.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. But who knows if we'll actually get to enjoy it. There's just no telling what kind of crazy stuff Instructor Sara has planned for us." Rean reminded.
"Fair point." Gaius granted.
"Boy, isn't that the truth." Elliot agreed.
"Don't know for sure, but knowing her, it'll probably be something ridiculous. Or lame. Probably both." Fie voiced her thoughts on the matter.
"I can't hazard a guess as to what this 'field study' might involve either." Laura admitted.
"We can say one thing for sure though. Being part of our curriculum, it's a safe bet it's not going to be easy." The swordsman of the group inferred.
"If it were, it would hardly be worth the trip." The reserved blue haired girl asserted. "Personally, I'm looking forward to learning the true nature of our excursion."
"I-I suppose that is a good way to look at it..." The orbal staff user conceded.
"Well, we'll find our answer when we get there. We're supposed to drop by the inn as soon as we arrive." Rean spoke on the subject. "There should be an envelope waiting for us there with details on our mission."
"It seems everything was thought of." Gaius surmised. "Lodging has been arranged for us, our instructions are awaiting pick up, and even the station employees were ready for us when we we arrived."
"Yeah, it's almost weird how everything's been so well planned out." Elliot said in the same vein.
"Well, that just goes to show how high the academy's expectations are for all of you!" Another voice interjected, getting everyone's attention on the person whom it belonged to, none other than Sara, who now stood beside them, having just entered the train-car they were in a mere moment ago.
"Whoa!" Elliot exclaimed in surprise.
"I-Instructor...?" Rean was more than a little shocked by her sudden appearance as well
"I was wondering why you were nowhere to be seen this morning." Laura commented.
"And I was wondering when you were finally going to show yourself." Fie remarked, revealing the fact that she had known their teacher was there all along.
"Aww, and here I thought I had managed without you noticing." Sara voiced her disappointment, minimal as it might be.
"I think that means she's been watching us the whole time." Gaius said.
"I've been on high alert whenever you're concerned. After all, last time you stole my grappling hook." The stoic silver haired girl retorted, clearly still just a tad sore regarding the incident. "Which you've yet to give back, by the way."
"Anywaaay..." Sara dragged the word out as she changed the subject, clearly set on ignoring that last bit about the grappling hook. "It looks like Group A's all present and accounted for. That's good."
"So, uh, what brings you here Instructor?" Rean asked. "I thought you were planning on staying back at the academy?"
"Well, considering this is your first time out in the field, I assumed you'd be positively lost without me!" The energetic woman disclosed.
"Nope." Fie just flat out denied that.
Not that it seemed to bother Sara, as she continued on as if she hadn't even heard it. "So I decided to stick around at least until you've finished checking in at the hotel."
"I see. Thank you." Gaius responded with a nod of his head.
"I, uh, I think Group B could've used your help a little more..." Elliot mentioned.
"Would it not have been better for you to accompany the others?" Laura flat out questioned.
"Aww, but they'd be a nightmare to deal with..." The pink haired instructor whined. "I may still go to them though, if those two get out of control. But, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it!"
The five just sweatdropped at that.
'If you knew it would be such a problem, why'd you even put those two in the same group anyway?' The sixteen year old wondered to himself.
'I had suspected she put them together on purpose. This just about confirms it.' Rean thought to himself.
Turning away from them, the twenty something took a seat in the booth across the aisle from them. "Anyway, don't pay me any mind! You five feel free to keep talking!" She told them. "I didn't get any sleep last night, so I'm just going to take a little nap right here."
"Wait, wha-" Before Rean could even get more than three syllables out of his mouth, the instructor was out like a light.
"S-She's asleep already!?" Elliot exclaimed in disbelief.
"Incredible..." Laura muttered to herself.
"That's..uh, quite the talent." Gaius commented.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you got your sleeping habits from her Fie." Rean remarked.
Said girl in question shrugged her shoulders at that.
The conversation lulled, as they all waited out the time. Eventually, the quiet was broken, as Gaius and Elliot struck up a conversation, and Rean and Fie did the same.
"Say, Fie?" Rean began.
"Yeah?"
"Have you ever been to Celdic before?" He queried. "I know you traveled a lot, so I was just wondering."
"No. A small market town like that wouldn't have had much use for a corp like Zephyr. We stuck to big cities and the occasional countryside broiled in turmoil." She answered, doing so just low enough to where, with Elliot's and Gaius's conversation going, no one besides her childhood friend could hear her. "Why?"
"Just curious." He replied.
"Hmm." She accepted his answer, before turning her head to look out the window at the scenery as it whizzed by.
Seeing she wasn't too receptive to conversation at the moment, Rean decided not to bother her further. He didn't know, of course, that he was the reason for it, as she continued to contemplate their battle from earlier. 'Why did he hold back?'
"I do wonder what, precisely, these field study trips will involve. I truly can't even fathom a guess." Laura voiced her thoughts aloud then, catching her fellow sword wielder's attention.
"Likewise." Rean said. "The weirdest part, to me, is the divide between Group A and Group B. Why were we split up and sent to different places? And most bizarrely of all, why were Machias and Jusis placed in the same group? It's like they're just asking for trouble."
"It does seem quite illogical." She acknowledged. "I can only assume there's a hidden purpose to these trips beyond what we've been told. Perhaps multiple purposes, requiring multiple groups to fulfill."
"Yeah, that's my best guess too. There has to be something going on behind the scenes here." Rean conjectured. "Which is why I wanted to ask Instructor Sara a few more questions, but...well..." The two sword users glanced over to the snoozing Sara then, and sweatdropped once again. "...I don't think she'll be doing much answering."
"Perhaps she fell asleep deliberately to avoid addressing such concerns." Laura theorized.
"Sounds about right." Fie interjected. "It's what I'd do anyway." She noticeably continued to stare out the window as she said this.
"Well, then, it seems our instructor is...quite the formidable opponent." The blue haired seventeen year old added.
"That's one way to describe her." The raven haired swordsman granted. "Guess we're just going to have to work out the meaning of these field study trips on our own."
With that, Rean gave out a sigh, before looking toward Elliot. "Hey, almost forgot I had these. I just picked them up on a whim a little while ago." The orange haired teen said, as he pulled a deck of Blade cards out of his pocket.
"Oh, you have a pack too? I just got a set of my own from the pawn shop in Trista." The raven haired seventeen year old said.
"Really? That's perfect then! How about we play a few hands? Seems like we've got some time to kill before we arrive." The sixteen year old suggested.
"Do you know the rules?" His older friend inquired.
"Yeah. They're not that complicated, so I doubt anyone here will have any trouble picking it up."
"Sounds like a good way to pass the time." Gaius put his two cents forward.
"Indeed, it seems like it could be an enjoyable diversion." Laura commented.
"Meh, could be fun." Fie said with a shrug of her shoulders, looking away from the window as she did.
"All right, let's give it a try then." Rean proposed.
...
After going over the rules real quick and playing several games, they put away the cards. By the time they had, nearly ten rounds had been played. They had all seemed to enjoy the game, even if some of them were better at it than others, Rean and Fie in particular. Once that was done, silence once again fell over the students, as they waited out their train ride.
"Now that's a pleasant sight." Gaius said suddenly, in reference to all the greenery, windmills and nature that had begun to pass by their window.
"It's beautiful." Elliot commented.
"What a spectacular view." Laura concurred. "The rye planted last fall seems almost ready for harvesting."
"Now?" Elliot questioned. "I thought rye could only be harvested in the fall."
"Well, the soil in this area is supposed to be extra fertile due to the warmer climate, so things are a little different here." Rean explained to his younger friend. "The view really is amazing though. It looks like something out of a painting."
"Guess you've been paying closer attention in class than I have." Fie remarked, having not known that herself.
"The Ministry of Railways wishes to thank all passengers for their patronage. This transcontinental train is bound for Crossbell. The next stop is...Celdic. Celdic." A female voice came over the intercom, informing them of this. "Passengers travelling to...Bareahard...please change trains at this stop."
"Looks like we're almost there." Gaius said.
"Guess I should wake Instructor Sara..." Rean said to himself.
Deboarding the train, the five teens followed after their instructor, as she led them out of the station and into what equaled out to the town square of Celdic. It was a humble looking little place, it's main attraction being it's Grand Market off to the side of the center of town, most of the residents focused around that area, while a sparse few moved about the rest of space, going about their daily lives in peace.
"Wow, so this is Celdic..." Elliot was clearly impressed with the serenity of it.
"It seems like a really relaxing little town, though there are a lot more people here than I expected." Rean disclosed.
"I imagine they've come for the Grand Market." Laura put forth. "Even merchants from other countries regularly come to see it."
"Celdic's also widely renowned for their local beer, which they make using rye." Sara apprised. "But you're all still minors, so I'm the only one here who gets to drink it!" The glee she took in that simple fact was just a little ridiculous.
The sweatdrop the five students shared showed they thought as much.
"And there it is, the real reason why she came with us." Fie vocalized her comprehension.
"Are you...actually trying to make us jealous?" Rean inquired with a tad of incredulity.
"Anyway! Let me show you to the inn." Sara ignored her so called wunderkind's question. "It's, uh, right over there." She pointed out, beginning to lead them over to it.
The five followed their teacher as she led them to their lodgings. Meanwhile, not far from the group of six, a man with long, violet hair and a flamboyant white getup, with accents of a few other bright colors, watched them.
...
As the six entered the inn, known as Weathercock inn, the five teens took a moment to look around, as their educator walked up to a woman at the counter.
Said woman appeared to be forty years of age, had light skin, brown hair tied up in a medium-size bun and brown eyes. The clothes she wore consisted of a simple mid-sleeve shirt, long skirt and an apron over it all.
"Hey there Margot." Sara greeted, as she came to a stop.
Noticing the pink haired woman's presence, the woman at the counter turned to Sara, a smile crossing her face as she did. "Well, if it isn't Sara! What are you doing here? I was only expecting the kids." The woman known as Margot greeted in turn.
"Oh, I just figured I'd help them get settled in before I left." The jovial twenty something elaborated. "I had to do at least that much for my lovely students!"
"Well now, aren't they a youthful looking bunch!" Margot exclaimed, as she noticed the five in question, as they came closer to the counter.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. We're first-year students from Thors Military Academy, Class VII. I'm Rean." Rean introduced himself.
"I'm Gaius Worzel. Thank you for allowing us to board here." Gaius expressed his gratitude.
"The pleasure's all mine, I assure you. I'm Margot, the owner of this humble establishment." Margot introduced herself in turn. "Sara here has taken care of all your arrangements." She informed them. "Come, I'll show you to your room."
"Th-Thank you Ma'am." Elliot said with a nod of his head.
"Much obliged." Laura said in the same vein.
Fie merely nodded her head in agreement with the others words of gratitude.
They proceeded to follow her to the staircase and ascend it after her.
"I'll leave you to it then!" Sara exclaimed, before turning toward a young waitress and calling out, "Hey Louise, can I get some beer and snacks?"
"I'll bring them right over!" The young, light skinned, long red haired woman called back. "You do know it's not even noon though, right?"
...
Once on the second floor, Margot came to a stop at the third door, the teenagers following her doing the same.
"This is the room you're all going to be staying in tonight." The woman told them, opening the door as she did, so they could see inside the room.
It was spacious enough, containing a large, L shaped comfy looking couch, a single desk with three drawers, two night stands and five single beds, two against one wall, and two against, not the opposing wall, but the one beside it.
"Wait...we're all...?" Elliot trailed off.
"Yeah, this is..." Rean started as well, all of them realizing immediately this meant they would all be sharing a room.
"More than enough space for our needs. Thank you very much." Laura finished for the two boys.
"B-But there are five beds, wh-which means..." Elliot continued.
"We'll all be sleeping in the same room." Gaius completed his younger friend's sentence.
"I have my doubts about this, I'll admit." Margot disclosed. "But Sara insisted, so that was that!" She divulged. "I broke the beds into a group of three, and a group of two, but that was about the best I could manage."
"Who cares?" Fie asserted.
"We are military students. We mustn't allow the prospect of mixed-gender accommodations to faze us." The well spoken blue haired girl added.
"She has a point." Gaius granted, clearly taking this the best out of the three guys.
"I don't have a problem with it personally. So if no one else does...I guess it's fine." The timid sixteen year old remarked.
"Yeah, I, uh, I suppose you're right." The dark haired swordsman conceded.
"Why're you so nervous? We've shared a room before." The silver haired fifteen year old mentioned.
The looks they received at that comment, from Margot in particular, well, shock was only one of the things they portrayed. Needless to say, they all had quirked brows, clearly questioning what had happened. Though Gaius and Elliot just looked more taken back than anything.
"Yeah, when we we kids! It's a little different now!" Rean contended.
Fie eyed him for a moment, before simply going, "Mmm."
...
"Anyway, now that your room's all sorted, let me give you this." Margot said, as she held out an envelope with the words Thors Military Academy written on it, along with the academy's crest.
"That's our academy's emblem." Rean observed, as he took the envelope from her.
"Does this contain the details of our assignment here?" Laura inquired.
"That's what I've been told, yes."Margot confirmed with a nod of her head. "Well, if you need anything during your stay, just let me know. For now, I'll leave you to get settled in." With that, she left the room, closing the door behind her as she did.
"All right. Shall we have a look inside it?" Gaius proposed.
"Yeah, that sounds good." Elliot affirmed.
"Okay, let's see what we've got..." Rean said, as he opened the envelope and pulled out the paper tucked away inside and unfolded it, the other four reading it along with him as he began to do so.
The list contained three tasks. The first was from a man known as Father Zirbel, a clergyman, to procure some ingredients to make a particular medicine. The second, was from a man known as Samus, who worked at a local arms and orbal factory, and wanted them to replace a malfunctioning orbal light in a roadlamp along one of the highways. The third and final task was from a man known as Syro, a farmer, who needed them to exterminate a monster that was making it difficult for his family to harvest their crops.
Below the tasks was additional information regarding the field study itself. Which Gaius read off aloud, "Study area is defined as two hundred selge radius around Celdic. Each student must record his or her activities daily, to be remitted to the instructor upon request."
They were less concerned with that. however, than the actual tasks themselves.
"Uhh...I don't know about you guys, but this just looks like a list of menial tasks to me." Elliot opined.
"There is a monster elimination request, at least. But that's the most we have." Laura noted.
"Well, there is more to helping a town or settlement then slaying monsters." Gaius stated.
"I see. So that's her angle." Rean said to himself aloud.
"Huh, did you figure something out?" The orbal staff user queried.
"Oh, no, it's nothing. We should go and talk this over with Instructor Sara though. She probably stuck around specifically to answer any questions we might have." The dark haired teen inferred.
"Hmm, you may be right." The swordswoman of the group acknowledged.
"That seems like a good idea." The tallest of the group commented.
After speaking with a mildly drunk Sara, who did little to answer any of their questions, and Rean vocalized his realization that their choices as to what to do and when to do it were just as much a part of the field study as the tasks themselves, Sara finally saying something useful and reinforcing his words, they left the inn. Once outside, Rean explicated his reasoning on the matter, and they came to the conclusion, as a group, that this was not only to test them in a way, but also to provide them the invaluable opportunity to gather knowledge about Celdic as a whole, giving them real insight about the town, over just what they knew from studying about it. With that out in the open, they came to the decision to work down the list of tasks while doing their best to immerse themselves in the culture of Celdic.
The first of which they decided to work on was to gather ingredients for the medicine Father Zirbel wished to make. So after talking with him and getting the rundown on what they needed, stopping by the market to procure the first of the two main ingredients, they headed for the west exit of Celdic, which led out onto the west highway.
Before they could though, they ran into three men blocking their way, all dressed in blue and white outfits with gold accents, clearly some kind of soldiers. As it turned out, they were indeed soldiers, soldiers from the Provincial Army in fact. The Provincial Army that served the Albarea family on top of that. Thankfully, they didn't give the students much trouble, just trying to intimidate them a little, after having made sure they were truly from Thors like they claimed they were. After that they went about their business, and so did the teens, though it did leave them with a sense of wariness towards them.
...
Once they had secured the second main ingredient from a farmer known as Paul, they returned to town and turned in to Father Zirbel. He thanked them for their assistance and rewarded them with some spare healing salve he had on hand, that while helpful, wasn't too useful around Celdic, seeing as it was meant to be used on wounds, that were to be wrapped up afterward. And those were rather rare in such a peaceful place as this.
With that task complete, they moved on to the next. Speaking with Samus at his place of work, he gave them the details on what needed to be done, as well as how to access the roadlamp to change out the orbal light. Which, as it turned out, was back on the highway they had just come back from. So, access code in hand for the panel they had to open, they returned to the west Celdic highway.
...
Changing out the light proved rather easy, even as a dozen monsters surrounded them, while one of them punched in the code and did the actual changing, the other four wiped the beasts out with little difficulty. Second task completed, they returned to Celdic and informed Samus of their success. He thanked them, and they went on their way.
Time to begin their third and final task, they left town through the east exit, travelling along the East Celdic Highway, until they reached a farmhouse owned by the one who had put out the extermination request. Upon entering they were greeted by the man, Syro, who, while expressing concern over how young they were, trusted them to take care of his monster problem regardless. Giving them the information they needed, such as it's location and what it looked like, a blue dinosaur apparently, he wished them luck, and off they went.
...
The monster was no pushover in a general sense, but was clearly no match for the five, being slain rather shortly after having encountering them. It wasn't much of a shock that they won so easily, considering the three strongest members of Class VII were in the group, not to mention one of the two tied for fourth strongest. Even Elliot didn't break a sweat because of how quickly they brought an end to that beast. So it was a rather uninteresting affair as a whole, the only remotely interesting thing to happen being the weird look Laura gave to Rean, that when he questioned her about, she brushed it off as nothing.
Their last task complete, they returned to Syro and let him know that the beast would no longer be a problem. Filled with gratitude, he thanked them quite sincerely, and after having asked him why he didn't have the Provincial Army take care of this instead with how close they were to Celdic, and him explaining that they didn't have much interest in aiding him or the rest of the town, which didn't sit well with any of them, Laura especially, they left for town once more.
However, when they got there, they found themselves mixed up in some commotion in the Grand Market, between two merchants known as Heinz and Marco. It was something about their stall permits and who had the most forefront stall. The five managed to break it up with little incident, with the help of a man they came to know as Otto the Market Manager. He had them make a compromise, then took the five students back to his home where he thanked them and apologized, while treating them to tea. There he also informed them what was the underlying cause of the flaring tensions of those two, and how it was affecting them all as a whole, it being because of Duke Albarea's near ludicrous tax increase. And that because of their collective refusal to pay it, as it would leave them less than what they would even just need to survive day to day, the Provincial Army was less than inclined to help them in any matter. Which explained why there was no interference on their part in that squabble in the Grand Market, or assistance with that monster extermination.
Assuring them not worry about it, as they needed to focus on their studies, he showed them out and bid them good evening, as they needed to return and write their reports. Before they did return to the inn though, they saw off Sara, who was going to help Group B sort things out, as they weren't getting anything done at all.
...
Once back at the inn, they were treated to dinner by Margot, which they had just finished.
"Aaah...that was delicious." Elliot praised the meal. "Those were some seriously fresh vegetables too."
"It was quite good." Gaius concurred.
"Yeah, nothing beats food made from local ingredients." Rean commented.
"I quite enjoyed the rye bread myself." Laura remarked.
Fie hummed in agreement with that.
Silence consumed the five then, as they prepared to rise from their seats and make their way upstairs. Before they did though, the second youngest of them spoke.
"You know, I've been thinking...and I can't help but question what exactly Class VII's purpose is." Elliot voiced his rumination on the matter. "Instructor Sara says it's about ARCUS, but I really don't think that's the only reason we've been brought together."
Just like that, the task of ascending to the second floor was momentarily forgotten.
"I'm certain it's not." Laura vocalized her opinion on the matter.
"It's never that simple." Fie agreed.
"If that were all, today's field study tasks would serve little purpose." The well spoken seventeen year old added.
"It seems to me that Instructor Sara is trying to imbue us with experiences, both big and small, important and trivial. Question though, is why?" Gaius cogitated aloud.
The silence returned, as they all seemed to take a few moments to think that over.
"What do we have to offer one and other, when our reasons for enrolling at Thors in the first place are undoubtedly very different?" Rean pondered.
"Our...reasons?" The orange haired teen repeated with uncertainty.
"My reason for enrolling was quite simple." The reserved swordswoman started. "I aim to come ever closer to my goal. Or rather, to the person whom I regard as such."
"Who's that?" The orbal staff wielder questioned.
"Heh. This is neither the time nor place to discuss such matters. Best to save that topic for another day." Was her response. "What about you, Fie? Why did you enroll at the academy?" She went on to ask.
"I didn't have much of a choice in the matter. I was all alone and had nowhere else to go." The stoic fifteen year old revealed, as composed as ever. "It was either that or wander Zemuria by myself. And..." The young girl closed her eyes then, going quiet as she did. 'I didn't want to be alone.' She finished mentally. Reopening her eyes, she finished her sentence. "And that's it. So, I enrolled at Thors."
Rean was unable to hide the frown that marred his face, knowing the full story of how she had met Sara and she enrolled at the woman's behest, it didn't make it any better. She was abandoned by those she considered family. He knew how deeply that must have cut her, how she was scarred by it. There was sadness in her eyes when she spoke about them, that he would do anything to absolve her of. But how could he ever possibly accomplish such an impossible task? All he could truly do for her, was be there for her, by her side, like he had sworn to her he would all those years ago.
"I see." Laura said, taken back by the level of blunt, almost brutal, honesty from the younger girl. Though she didn't show it, it seemed to still be a sensitive topic, so the blue haired teen chose not to try and probe further, and she was sure the others would choose to do the same.
"Fie, I never knew..." Elliot trailed off, caught completely off guard. He wasn't sure what to say to this.
"Are you alright?" Gaius inquired with concern, having notice the flicker of emotion the silver haired girl displayed at the end.
"I'm fine, don't worry about it." She assured, genuine in her words. "So, Gaius, what's your reason for coming to Thors?" She questioned him, switching focus from her to him in doing so.
"I enrolled to learn more about the world outside of Nord." He began without hesitation, happy to accommodate the younger teen's wish to get the focus off of her. "My homeland sits between the border of Erebonia and Calvard, two countries that more often than not, are at each other's throats. And the ever looming threat that presents to my home has always concerned me greatly. So it is my hope, that with better understanding of the world, will come understanding of how to better protect my homeland." He divulged.
"A very noble cause." Laura commended.
Fie nodded her head in affirmation regarding her fellow female's words.
"You're amazing Gaius. Taking something like that upon yourself this young, just wow!" Elliot expressed his astonishment.
"I don't know about all that. I just want to protect my home." The soft spoken Nord replied.
"They're right, Gaius. Goals don't get much more altruistic than that." Rean told the taller boy with a smile.
"Man, I'm really in the minority here." Elliot grumbled to himself a bit. "See, I wasn't intending on coming here at all originally. I wanted to do something completely different."
"Oh yeah, you said you were really hoping you'd get into a music academy, right?" Rean asked.
"Ahaha. Well, I wasn't that serious about it or anything..." Elliot tried to brush it off, but it was kind of clear there was more to it than that. No one pressed him on the issue however. "What about you, Rean?" He asked in turn. "You're the last hold out. And since you're the one who brought it up, it's only fair if you answer the question too."
"Me?" Rean queried, a little surprised. "Hmm..." Closing his eyes, he went quiet for a few short moments, before opening them and answering with, "It's nothing special. I guess I just...wanted to find myself."
"Find yourself...?" The emerald green eyed sixteen year old repeated.
'Rean...' Fie stared at her childhood friend, wondering to herself about the way he acted, the things he did, how he was so different from when they were children, and yet still, how he was almost the exact same in so many ways.
"Sorry, that makes it sound like a much bigger deal than it actually is. That's the best way I can think of to put it though." He remarked, rubbing the back of his head while grinning sheepishly as he did.
"Heh. Nothing wrong with that. Going on a journey of self-discovery...it's actually a pretty cool answer!" Elliot complimented.
"You may not think of it as such, but to seek out your true self, it is a very profound goal." Gaius told his fellow teen.
Laura remained quiet, simply continuing to stare inquisitively, as if searching for something, at Rean. Almost as if she was scrutinizing him at every turn, having been doing so for most of the day. If he noticed, he never mentioned it.
...
"So, you want me to wake you up at six tomorrow, right?" Margot asked, just to make sure.
"Yes, please. We only have until tomorrow evening, so we need to get an early start." Rean answered.
"We really appreciate it." Gaius preemptively thanked her.
"It's no problem at all!" Margot assured them. "Have a good night."
"Good night." Elliot returned the sentiment.
The inn owner then left them to their own devices, returning to the counter to tend to the customers, leaving the teens at the bottom of the steps leading to the second floor.
Elliot hung his head with a sigh then. "But we're not actually going to sleep yet, are we? Not until we write our reports for the day..." He whined.
"We'll just have to make sure to get them done as soon as we can, that way we'll have more time to rest." Gaius advised.
"You don't sound very worried about it..." The younger of the males said.
"Well, I'm used to rising early. It was commonplace back home." The dark brown haired teen replied.
The two continued to converse, as they began to ascend the stairs to the second floor, Fie following after them as they did. As Rean moved to do the same, however, the sound of his name being spoken caught his attention.
"Rean?"
"Hmm? What is it?" He queried, turning to face the one in question who was speaking to him.
"I was unsure whether to ask or not, but I've decided this question bears answering." Laura told him. "Why have you chosen to hold back?"
"What?" Was Rean's questioning response.
"Your sword style and technique...it is the Eight Leaves One Blade school, is it not?" It was clear that she already knew the answer to that. "Popularize by the 'Sword Hermit' Yun Ka-fai, it combines the best elements of other Eastern sword styles. " She expounded the style. "Those who master any of its forms are referred to as a 'Divine Blade', and are said to understand the true nature of all things."
"You certainly know an awful lot about it." Rean remarked. "I didn't think it was particularly renowned here in the Empire."
"We of the Arseid school consider the studying of other swordsmanship styles to be an essential part of our training. In addition, my father once told me...'If you follow the path of the sword, it is only a matter of time before you encounter a follower of the Eight Leaves.'" She divulged.
"Your...father said that?" It was clear the raven haired teen was more than a little shocked to hear that. "Haha. It's an honor to be acknowledged by the Radiant Blademaster himself."
A lull manifested between the two's communication, quiet filling the air for several, long moments. Until...
"I'm nothing special though. I'm just a dropout who's never even-" As Laura gazed at him intently, awaiting the truth on the matter, Rean found himself in the middle of espousing a half-truth. Did he really want to lie to one of his classmates? 'I thought better of it with Crow, perhaps I should do the same now.' He thought to himself. 'I had said that I wanted to make friends with the rest of Class VII, didn't I? Lying to them isn't the way to do that. I mean, I wouldn't lie to Fie, would I? I have to be honest.' He rationalized.
Sighing deeply, he started speaking once more. "Look, the truth is...I did train with Master Ka-fai, but he cut my training short. I was...I hit a wall. I had barely past the beginner level, when he told me that he would no longer be able to train me. He said that I...that my conflicting emotions made it impossible to learn anything more than I already had. So...so, I could go no further. " He was unable to hide the shred of apprehensiveness he felt at disclosing this.
Laura was evidently taken off guard by this revelation, judging by the expression on her face. Nevertheless, she dug deeper into the matter. "Conflicting emotions?"
"Yeah. I was determined to get stronger, but I was also...afraid." Rean confessed, clearly filled with anxiousness on the matter.
"Afraid of what?" Laura probed further, concerned for her classmate, but also intrigued to a great degree.
'Myself.' He thought to himself immediately, closing his eyes as he did. 'Of my power.' That was his true answer. However, he didn't have to bare all to someone to be honest with them. He had no desire to unbosom himself to this girl, or any of the others for that matter, not yet at least. Fie knew the whole truth, that was good enough. Maybe when he was closer with the others, just maybe, he would tell them of that side of himself. But for now...
Opening his eyes, he turned away from his fellow sword wielder, evading the question entirely as he did. "So, I'm not actually holding back. And I'm sorry that I don't quite live up to your expectations." There seemed to be genuine remorse there, as he said this.
Moving to climb the staircase, he was stopped once more. "Wait. I apologize for pressing the issue. I understand if you don't want to talk about it. But, please, could you just answer one more question?" She asked of him solemnly.
Turning to face her once more, he awaited the question.
"Why did you take up the path of the sword?" Such a small, simple question. Yet it carried such enormous weight.
"Why?" He repeated. "To protect someone."
...
Above, just about leaning over the railing, the other three teens listened to the two converse below.
"I could tell for awhile now that he's been bottling something up, and trying as hard as he can to keep anyone else from noticing." Gaius stated, just softly enough that only those beside him could hear his words.
"You've noticed it too?" Elliot asked quietly with a curious glance.
Gaius nodded his head in affirmation. "Yeah. I first saw it during our fight with that gargoyle in the old schoolhouse."
"It took me a bit longer. I didn't see it for the first time until our combat practice three days later."
"He's been doing it since he got to the academy. It just becomes more noticeable during battle." Fie amended their statements.
"Fie, you've known him a lot longer than we have, any idea what it is?" The timid sixteen year old queried.
"If we knew, perhaps we could help him." The soft spoken seventeen year old suggested.
Fie failed to respond to either of them though, as she closed her eyes and began to contemplate.
"Tag! You're it!" Rean exclaimed, rushing past Fie as he did, so as to get away from her before she could tag him back.
"Hey, no fair! I wasn't ready!" The silver haired girl protested, before rushing after him.
Elise, who was sitting in the snow a few feet away, taking a rest after the rousing game of hide and seek they had just finished, jumped to her feet before diving into fray, eager to play. Crossing her fellow seven year old's path, she succeeded in catching her attention long enough to ensure her brother didn't get tagged. Only, now she was the one in danger of being made it, as the yellow-green eyed girl came after her.
Fie would have caught her, if Rean didn't cut in at the last moment, saving his sister from being tagged as he did, stumbling as he moved her and himself out of the way. That left them both precariously close to their fellow child, presenting the young girl the opportunity to tag either of them easily. How did they keep her from getting them? Simple. Rean threw a snowball in her face.
"Split up!" Rean instructed his sister. So, they split, running in exact opposite directions as they did, while Fie wiped the snow off her face.
"Rean, you're such a cheater!" She vociferated, running after him once the snow was no longer blocking her vision.
"You're just mad that you can't catch me!" He taunted her, his tone thick with mirth.
"Oh yeah!? Wanna bet!?" She hollered after him, attempting to close the distance between them as quickly as she could, straight out sprinting at this point.
Her effort quickly paid off, as she got almost close enough to touch him, just a few centimeters too far ahead of her to make contact with, even with her arm outstretched. So what did she do? Well, she really wanted to get him, so she threw herself forward and tackled him from behind.
"I got you!" She cried with glee, as he turned over to face her, face covered in snow.
"Yeah you did, I mean, look at my face. You really made me eat dirt for what I said, huh? Or snow, I guess."
The two proceeded to peel into a fit of rambunctious laughter then, eliciting the question what's so funny from Rean's sister, as she walked up beside them. Once she saw her brother's face though, she just joined in on the laughter.
Sitting up in bed, Rean let his eyes wander the room. He had just awoken from a light doze, for some reason unable to find restful, deep slumber. The room was dark, only the light of the moon permeating the room through the window allowed him to really see his surroundings. Because of that, he noticed what was out of place almost immediately. Gaius, Elliot and Laura were all in their beds, asleep, while a certain silver haired girl was noticeably absent. She was not even in the room, in fact.
Curious, and a little concerned, he got out of the bed, and made his way over to the desk to retrieve his clothes.
...
After changing out of his pajamas and into his school uniform, he made his way downstairs and proceeded to exit the inn. As he did, he made absolutely sure the door closed quietly behind him, so as not to disturb anyone sleeping within the establishment, his classmates or otherwise.
Once outside, it didn't take him long to find his childhood friend at all, who too had changed into her school uniform, considering she was leaning against the the wall right beside the entrance. Upon seeing her so suddenly, Rean probably would have jumped, but used to her popping up like that out of nowhere, it didn't really affect him much, just a simple widening of the eyes, before returning to normal.
"There you are." He simply said.
"Yep." She responded simply.
"Having trouble sleeping, I'm guessing?"
"Got it in one." She confirmed.
"Yeah, me too."
Turning around, he let his gaze wander the town, taking in it's appearance covered in the shadows of darkness, only illuminated by the same moonlight that had allowed him to navigate the room without fumbling about. It was almost eerily quiet too, though with everyone asleep, that was to be expected. After all, it was like three in the morning, give or take an hour so, by the teen's calculations anyway.
"Want to talk about it?" Rean suddenly inquired, looking back at her as he did.
She sighed at that. "I don't always have a problem, ya know."
"I know that. But something's bugging you."
She took a few moments to respond to that. "Yeah, you're right."
"So, what is it? I can't help unless you tell me."
Another sigh. "I've been thinking. About you." She specified.
"About me?" He wasn't sure what to make of that.
"Yeah, you. I've been trying to figure out why you were holding back during the practical exam." She clarified. "That's what I've had on my mind. Among...other things."
'Other things?' Was his immediate thought. Pushing that to the back of his mind, he replied to her statement. "I don't know what you're talking about. I wasn't holding back during our fight."
"Yes, you were." She insisted. "I can sense people and the power they possess just as well as you can. I had thought I could do so even better than you, until I realized you were able to perceive just how out of our league we were when Sara instructed us to attack her." She disclosed to him. "I've felt the strength of your aura. You try to hide it, but you have to show most of it when you fight, so I was able to discern just how strong you really are." She explicated. "I know why you're always so tense, why you're always so reserved, why you're bottling things up. It's because you're afraid it will happen again, aren't you?"
Eyes wide once more, Rean was almost speechless. "Fie, I..." His emotions were clearly whirling.
"But that doesn't explain why you held back during our battle. If you had gone all out, we would have been on an even playing field for the most part." She finished, her eyes meeting his, burrowing into him with her piercing gaze.
"It's...it's..." He began but trailed off, closing his eyes as he did, attempting to reign his emotions in. After a dozen or so moments, he managed to do so, reopening his eyes once he did, meeting her gaze with his own in doing so. "I didn't hold back. You're just stronger than I am Fie. There was only one technique I could've used that would have turned the tide of battle in my favor, and I could never bring myself to use it against you. Even if you'd still win, regardless whether I used it or not." He elucidated. "Besides that, trying to push my capabilities beyond my current level through sheer force and effort, without the skill to do so, makes it rather difficult to assure that I won't lose myself again. And I...I don't ever want something like that to happen again." Pain, fear and remorse flooded his tone, as the image of himself standing over the butchered corpse of that man, with Fie and Elise gawking at his bloodied form, flashed in his mind. The thought that he could do that to the ones he cared about, those he loved...it terrified him beyond measure.
His distress all too evident, Fie decided he needed some time to talk with a friend. "Let's take a walk."
...
"You've really changed, you know that?"
"Huh?" Was Fie's eloquent response.
"You're different than you were when we were kids. You've become stoic, almost aloof, less playful, and somewhat cynical."
"Oh." Was all she said at that, though the way her irises shifted downward, and how she lowered her head the slightest bit, spoke volumes of how that made her feel.
"But in a lot of ways, you haven't really changed at all." He continued. "You're still the sweet, kind hearted, quick witted, laid-back girl I first met."
That got her to perk back up, a smile crossing her face.
...
"About what you said to Laura..." Fie began, choosing her words carefully as she did. "When you said you took up the path of the sword to protect someone..."
"I was talking about you and Elise." He came straight out and confirmed it, stopping in his tracks as he did, his childhood friend doing the same, coming to a stop beside him.
"O-Oh, I see..." The stoic fifteen year old, in spite of her nature, was unable to keep a light blush from dusting her cheeks.
"I know you're stronger than me now, but that doesn't change anything, not to me at least. I still want to protect you, no matter what." He confessed to her, his words completely heartfelt, despite being the tiniest bit cheesy.
It was at that moment, that Fie made a decision. She stood on her toes and pressed her lips against the right side of Rean's face, kissing him on the cheek. "Thank you." Her blush, needless to say, was even darker now. In the same vein, her smile was larger.
Rean's immediate reaction? To go red as a tomato and begin spluttering. Unfortunately, before he could get anything coherent out, the sound of something being smashed caught the two teens attention.
Directing their eyes to the Grand Market, which they stood atop the steps leading down into, they caught sight of four men vandalizing a stall.
END NOTE: So, there's an almost semi-decent change for you. The bandits were caught in the act of the theft of goods. What does this mean for day two of the field study? You shall see. Also, the first real fight comes next chapter, so, yeah, I can't wait! And yeah, I probably could have changed more, really wanted to as well. Perhaps I should just say fuck it and start really doing things differently, hmm...yeah, that sounds good, but I also want to hit certain points and have certain scenes happen that also happened in the games. I just don't know...say, tell me what you guys think.
Why? Because you've gone this far with me, I'd like to know your opinions. I also feel this chapter is sub par, at least the first half or so anyway, so I would really, really like to know. Am I imagining it, or is it the truth? Should I keep to script and just try and work the changes in there as I go? Or, should I just all but throw said script out the window and really go at it from scratch from here on out? Let me know. Oh, and just so you know, if you guys and I come to an agreement on the latter, I might...take some liberties with certain characters and events, so as to fit my storyline better. More so than I already planned to, that is.
Like I said, if you don't want that, or you do, let me know. I'm thinking it over myself, and with all the other crap I've got going on, I'd really appreciate any and all input on the matter.
Also, just in case anyone is wondering, yes, Rean is indeed somewhat stronger than he was at the beginning of the game. He's still the third strongest of the class, it's just that the gap between his power and Fie's and Laura's is more narrow.