Fire lanced out from Aspen's fingers, spearing the two hunters with no resistance. She looked to her left where the flames had struck Oliver between the eyes. Neat little blobs of blood had shot out, hanging suspended in the air even as the fire continued to pass through the man's skull. Aspen looked to her right, but was disappointed to see that the scene was not quite as… clean. Multiple licks of flame had torn through Laurel's chest, casting a crimson line up her body. The ichor—that was a nice word, ichor—was spraying everywhere: no control.

Dropping her weapons, Aspen turned back to Oliver's body, suspended in midair. Reaching up, she pricked the surface of one of the bloody orbs with her finger. The liquid clung to the digit, warm and… tempting. As she brought it close to her mouth, there was a wet thump behind her. Turning, she saw Laurel's body lying in the dirt, a pool of blood already beginning to form. She looked back just in time to see Oliver hit the ground as well. The girl scowled. She looked back down at her finger and was further annoyed to see that the blood had disappeared as well.

Indeed, the entire scene had vanished, leaving Aspen alone in a dark hallway. It was wide—several arm-lengths across—and the ceiling rose above her further than she could see. Despite there not being any discernable light source, a section of the path several yards ahead of her was lit up. She started walking toward it, but she didn't seem to be getting closer. Feeling her frustration beginning to heat up, she transitioned into a jog. Rather than the light getting closer, however, it began to move away from her. She broke into a sprint, pushing herself to move as fast as she possibly could. The light streaked ahead of her, rapidly shrinking to a single point before vanishing.

Aspen stopped chasing the light, coming to a stop. Staring out into the distance, she sunk to her knees. She wasn't sure why she had wanted to be in the light so badly; the darkness wasn't so bad. No, it was; it… it was cold. Lonely. She slumped backward, landing on her back. Light was so warm. It was friendly. Why had it left her? She didn't want to be alone… did she? She didn't know.

As she lay there, Aspen's body began to feel warmer. Slowly, the darkness peeled away, replaced by a blinding light. It had come back! She stared up at the light, a feeling of… joy creeping into her heart, but, as it grew brighter, she was forced to shut her eyes against it. She tried to lift her arms, to block the light, but she couldn't move them. The gentle warmth slowly turned into a burning heat, becoming more than she could bear. She screamed, but no sound reached her ears; the silence was almost worse than the pain.

Aspen felt herself suddenly ripped from the light, as sound and feeling returned to normal. She opened her eyes and sat up, her heart beating painfully inside her chest and skin tingling. She was back in the sparring room, exactly as she'd last seen it. Except Oliver and Laurel were still alive. The man knelt beside her, a pair of slim metal devices in his hands, while his partner was to his right, hands on a box about the size of one of Oliver's guns. They were looking at her with… concern.

Oliver breathed a sigh of relief as he hooked the pair of devices onto Laurel's box. "Aspen, we need to get you back to the hospital," he said slowly. "I think there's something seriously wrong with you."

The girl didn't argue, just glanced down at her hands. "It's the hair, isn't it?" she asked softly.

"No, it—" Oliver's face suddenly turned to confusion. "What?" He looked back at Laurel, but the woman was confused as well. Shaking his head, the hunter turned back to the girl. "No, it has nothing to do with your… hair." He set one hand on her shoulder. "Do you know what just happened?"

Truth be told, Aspen wasn't entirely sure. She thought she'd shot them and killed them, but, like the last time, it seemed reality had been different. "I… blacked out?"

Oliver's head shook slightly. "You didn't just black out; your heart stopped. You were clinically dead for over a minute."

Aspen blinked. Dead? That couldn't be right. If she'd died… that meant someone had killed her, didn't it? And there was no one there besides the three of them, so if it hadn't been Oliver or Laurel, that only left her. Looking down, she curled one of her hands into a fist. That didn't sound right, yet somehow she knew that was what had happened. She'd pushed herself too far, and her body had failed as a result. I need to be stronger. If she was going to be a hunter—huntress, her brain told her—she couldn't let this slow her down. Rising to her feet, she stared the two hunters down. "I'm fine," she said flatly.

Oliver and Laurel stood up with her, leaving the odd metal box and panels sitting in the dirt. The man stared back at her. "No, you're not."

Aspen bared her teeth and growled at him. "I am going to be a huntress with or without your help. You promised to take me to the Vital Festival, so take me."

Neither adult was intimidated by her display. Oliver looked as if he might say something, but Laurel crossed her arms. "And if we don't?" she asked challengingly.

The girl faltered for a moment. If they didn't take her, then... "I'll walk." She didn't have any idea where it was even supposed to be, but if that was what it took, she'd do it.

Laurel shook her head. "You can't walk to the Vital Tournament."

Oliver nodded in agreement. "It's way too far and you'd never make it on time. Besides, based on what just happened, the grim would kill you long before you even got to Vale."

The orange-haired woman frowned oddly and tilted her head. "I was just going to say that it was because it's in a floating arena, but those are good points too."

Oliver shook with a small laugh, but he quickly looked back at Aspen with a serious look on his face. "Alright, Aspen. Here's the way things are..." He narrowed his eyes and bit his lip before speaking again. "You're eighteen—we think—and that means you're old enough to make your own decisions. I did promise to take you to the Vital Festival, and I will," he paused and set his hand back on her shoulder, "but, as soon as it's over, you need to go to a hospital and get medical attention. Understand?"

Aspen took a breath, looking at the hand on her shoulder. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of Oliver's grip, but it didn't feel hostile, at the very least. It seemed like agreeing to his terms was the only way she was going to get to the Vital Festival. Grudgingly, she nodded.

Oliver smiled and pulled his hand away. He began to turn, but quickly stopped and looked back at her again. "No fighting until then, either, oh-kay?" Not liking the fact that he was adding further conditions to the deal—or that he was using words she didn't understand—Aspen scowled, but didn't argue. At least she was going.

(-)

Laurel sat in the chair, staring at the wall as she waited for the knock she knew was coming. The words she'd seen on her scroll were still registering with her. It was just... impossible. She was on her feet by the end of the quick double-knock. Opening the door, she let Oliver in. The man looked ragged and hollow, barely holding himself together. He stood motionless in the small entryway as Laurel closed the door gently behind him. Looking into his eyes, she saw dampness beginning to form in their corners.

It was true.

Laurel wrapped her arms around Oliver as he began to shake, struggling to keep herself from slipping into the same state as her partner; he needed her to support him, after all.

"It's all my fault," the man croaked, his voice breaking with sobs. "Gray's dead and it's all my fault!"

Laurel bit back her tears and ran her hand over his back. "You didn't do anything. It's not your fault."

She felt Oliver's arms slip up around her to return the embrace. "I turned her onto that job. I should have known. I-I sh-should've..." The man broke down into sobs, and all Laurel could do was hold him together as the tears began falling down her own face.

Laurel slowly opened her eyes, letting the dream of a memory fade from reality as a quiet beep found its way into her ears. Glancing to her left, she saw that, despite the darkness, Aspen was still staring out the Dustplane's window to the ground below. The woman adjusted herself in her seat before reaching forward to pull her scroll from the pouch in front of her. Opening it, she blinked and squinted against the sudden light as she opened the message from Oliver.

-\How are things up there?\-

The woman sighed internally before tapping out her reply. -/Quiet. Somehow, Aspen hasn't gotten bored of looking out the window the entire time./- Closing her scroll again, she closed her eyes and leaned back. Oliver really should have been the one sitting next to her; he had bought the tickets, after all. Unfortunately, since Aspen wasn't actually related to either of them, she couldn't get a ticket in Hunter-class. Of course, Oliver, being the type of man he was, had purchased an economy ticket for the girl and then swapped places with her. Hunter-class wasn't that much better than economy, but at least you knew—or, at the very least, could feel safe assuming—that the people you'd be flying with would be respectful of the other passengers.

Another beep from the scroll. -\Nothing wrong with that.\- There was a short pause before the next message came in. -\You know, I really wish you would give her more of a chance.\-

Laurel couldn't help but scowl a little. -/I'm trying. There's just something about her that rubs me the wrong way./-

Oliver's reply came in quickly, as far as scroll communications on an inter-kingdom flight went. -\Everyone rubs you the wrong way.\-

-/You don't./- Laurel caught herself just before she hit send. Deleting the words, she instead wrote, -/That's not fair. It's just who I am./-

-\I know, sorry. I just don't understand what it is that bothers you about her.\-

The woman glanced at Aspen, who was still looking out the window. How could Oliver not be bothered by her? -/Ignoring the fact that she died not two days ago and came back without the defibrillator, she's clearly not mentally well. She also managed to beat both of us—two trained Hunters—without a weapon. Is that someone you want around civilians?/-

It was a good two minutes before she got Oliver's reply. -\That's why she's up there with you and all the other Hunters, and there'll be even more once we get to Vale.\-

It was a solid argument. Almost too solid. -/You just came up with that excuse, didn't you?/-

-\You can't say I'm wrong.\-

Laurel growled at her scroll loud enough to momentarily distract Aspen from the window. The girl quickly lost interest and went back to looking outside. -/That's your problem: you don't think things through. That's what happened in the Crags, and that's what happened to Gray./- Her anger vanished and her heart stopped as she realized what she'd just sent. -/I'm so sorry./- -/I shouldn't have said that./- -/I'd had a dream and—/-

The scroll beeped before Laurel could finish her message. -\No, you're right.\- She could practically hear Oliver sigh. -\I'm just doing the best I can to help a girl figure her life out. It's not exactly something I'm an expert on.\-

Laurel cleared her message field. -/And I'm trying to help you./- -/I'm sorry I brought her up. It wasn't your fault./-

-\I know, Tawny. That's what you keep telling me.\- -\I'm going to try and catch some sleep before we land.\- Laurel sent a short acknowledgment before closing her scroll and returning it to the seat back in front of her. There was no way she was going to be able to fall back asleep now.

(-)

First, it was that city, Vacuo. Then, it was the ship. Now, it was this colosseum, as Laurel and Oliver called it. Aspen didn't need to see the people to know they were there, and there were so many of them. Not as many as the city, but more than the airship, and even more closely packed. Why did they feel the need to do this? And why don't I?

Aspen leaned against the railing, the weight of thousands of people pushing down on her back only counterbalanced by the weight of hundreds of thousands more pushing up on her from the city below. She wished that none of it was there, that she could simply enjoy the slight breeze that cooled her skin without all the pressing and buzzing of all the people around her, all the… She still didn't have the word for what she was. She knew there was one, but it just wasn't coming to her.

Closing her eyes, Aspen focused on everyone behind her. She could feel the subtle shifts as they moved up and down and back and forth, but, with so many people, it was difficult to pick out any one in particular. That didn't stop her from trying, however. She reached out, trying to find Oliver's and Laurel's auras amongst the crowds. Laurel had been with her not long ago before going to join Oliver in their seats, so her feeling was still fresh on Aspen's mind. She couldn't do it.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, the girl opened her eyes and looked back out at the horizon. A scrap of paper drifted by on the breeze, and Aspen got a glimpse of it before it was pulled down by… by… gravity. It was one of the posters, which Oliver had said was meant to advertise the tournament. It didn't make much sense to Aspen, seeing as how they were already there. Still, she had learned from it that the word 'Vytal' was spelled differently than how she'd thought it was, which didn't make any sense either. There seemed to be a lot of that in her life.

As she was about to move away from the railing to find Oliver and Laurel, she felt an aura moving quickly toward her. It felt different than the others, and lower to the ground. Aspen turned toward it and saw a small creature running toward her, a snarl on its face as it let out sharp barking sounds. The girl struggled to think of the animal's name. Is it a… wolf? No, that wasn't quite right; it was far too small, and had only a small stub for a tail. It had the right colors though, dark gray and white.

The creature came to a stop several feet away from her, baring its teeth and spreading its legs as if it was trying to intimidate her. Aspen cocked her head as it continued to make its sharp barking noise. She took a half-step toward it, and the animal scurried backward, never losing its snarl and never taking its little black eyes off her.

"Ah! Zwei!" The high pitched cry was all the warning Aspen got before a girl suddenly appeared in a burst of flowers—No, just the petals… What?—and scooped the creature up into her arms. "I'm so sorry!" she spouted, trying to calm the still angry dog—that was the word. "He's normally really friendly and nice and cuddly and not at all mean and angry and I don't know what's wrong with him and I am so sorry!"

Aspen narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at the girl. She didn't have much to reference from, but she would guess that she was younger than her, though she couldn't say by how much. She wore mostly black with bits of red throughout, though the hooded cloak on her shoulders was entirely red. There was something of the same bloody color sitting in the small of her back which, based on how Laurel's looked when not active, Aspen guessed was a weapon.

It wasn't until a few moments later that Aspen realized the girl was still talking. "—hope he didn't bother you and you aren't mad at all because that would make a terrible first impression and oh gosh please say something…?"

Aspen blinked as the girl trailed off weakly, slumping downward as if the dog in her arms had slowly gotten heavier as she'd been talking. She didn't actually know what she was supposed to say, since her only experience meeting people had been at the hospital. Names. That's where Oliver started. "Aspen," she said, crossing her arms loosely in front of her body.

The girl was momentarily confused by the introduction, but quickly perked up. "I'm Ruby!" she announced cheerfully, rocking up on her feet before looking down at the animal she was holding onto. "And this is Zwei—" She was interrupted as the dog let out a snarling bark directed at Aspen. Curiously, this caused Ruby to change her tone of voice as she frowned at Zwei. "—who is being a very bad boy!" To make the entire exchange even stranger, the dog actually reacted to the words, ears and head drooping as he let out a small whine. Ruby looked back up at Aspen. "So, I haven't seen you around Beacon… Are you here to fight in the tournament, or are you just watching?"

Aspen paused for just a moment. "Watching." She wanted to say 'fighting'—especially after meeting this Zwei creature—but, even if she hadn't told Oliver she wouldn't, she needed to watch the tournament before she could even understand how it worked.

Ruby gave an awkward shrug, keeping Zwei close to her body. "Ah, well, that's cool, I guess."

"Hey, Ruby! Come on!" Both girls turned to look for the source of the call. With all the people moving around, Aspen wasn't entirely sure who had shouted, but she worked it out when she saw the trio of girls looking in their direction. The biggest giveaway, though, was the blonde waving her arms about wildly.

"Oh! That's my team!" Ruby explained, looking back at Aspen even as she began moving away. "I've got to go. It was nice meeting you!"

Aspen didn't say anything as the girl ran toward the others, but silently she wondered if she could say the same. It certainly hadn't been… unpleasant, but Ruby had done most of the talking. If anything, Aspen had gotten more out of the conversation by feeling the girl's aura. Up until that point, she hadn't noticed that the auras had texture to them. Ruby's had felt like… She wasn't entirely sure. Bending over, she picked up one of the petals still sitting on the ground. She inspected it for a moment before curling her hand into a fist around it. Crushed flowers; that was what it felt like. Releasing the mangled petal into the breeze, Aspen began moving toward the arena.