Hello again everyone! I hope your week is going well. It got to the point where google docs was taking too long to load the 34 pages of story so this is the first chapter of the second document. No significant story meaning, but just a random fact.

EDIT: Forgot some edits when removing a paragraph

Laurel brought up her spear in time to block my strike, retaliating with a swift thrust. I couldn't bring my sword back in time so I used my right hand to push it aside, hopping back in a bid to regain my footing. We circled around each other for a few seconds, and I rushed forward right as she began a step. I rained down blows, alternating left and right, one especially strong strike knocking her spear out of her hands.

I lowered my sword. "You've been practicing a lot, haven't you?" I asked.

"Is it that obvious?" She said, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

I nodded. "Last week you never followed up a block with an attack without any hesitation like you did today."

I sat down on the ground. She took a seat next to me, naught but half a foot away. "Yeah, I have." She said. "I figured you would be impressed."

"Well, you've succeeded. For one week you improved a lot." I said.

She gave this radiant smile, visibly blushing. "Glad to hear it." She said. "I had something I wanted to ask you."

"Go ahead." I spoke without hesitation.

"What do you think about when you're fighting?" She asked.

I thought for a second. "When I'm fighting, it's like I have perfect clarity. I don't think about much of anything, really."

"It's normally like that for me." She said. "But recently I've found myself thinking about someone."

I kept silent. If she didn't want to tell me, I wouldn't ask. "i don't know what to say." I said, after a minute of silence. Our eyes met, and remained. I had this odd feeling of warmth, my heart beating faster than normal.

Laurelstood up abruptly. "See you next week." She said. She walked out, and I was left to sort out just what it was that I was feeling.

I pushed open the door of the dorm room to see all three faces turned towards me. "So how'd it go?" Nikki asked, obviously trying her best to suppress a smirk.

"Good." I said, carefully watching their reactions. Oran kept his expression neutral. Nikki was trying her best. Russell, on the other hand, had the biggest shit-eating grin I had ever seen.

"So your date went well?" He asked.

My cheeks burned. "It wasn't a date." I grumbled, moving over to my bed.

"You really don't know your own feelings well, do you?" Nikki said with a sigh.

I whipped around. "Don't you start that as well!" I said, exasperation rising by the second.

"It's sooooo obvious." Russell said, laughing at my indignation. "In all seriousness, you should try being more introspective. Sort out your thoughts, ya know?"

I said nothing, but sat down on my bed, thinking. What they said explained quite a lot, most everything actually. Laurel's odd mannerisms around me, my own reactions, it all added up under that one idea. I just wished I had figured it out myself.

I wracked my brain, trying to think of a new project to work on, and not of my sparring session with Laurel. The jetpack was completed, and now I needed another project to occupy my mind. I checked the time. Thirty minutes until I should leave to meet Laurel. There was nothing to prepare but myself. What was I going to say? Should I tell her what I felt? I shook my head. I wasn't going to get anywhere by worrying about it.

Twenty minutes. I looked up from my desk, away from the scattered sketches and blueprints. Still no ideas. Nikki was messing around with something on her scroll. Oran was out, probably going for a run as he tended to do. Russell was reading some comic book. He should probably be studying, we did have a test coming up in our grimm studies class.

Ten minutes. I tried to calm my nerves, quell my anxiety, but to no avail. I just watched the clock tick up to the time I needed. The entire week had been like this, my anticipation driving me to nervousness.

Five minutes. Four, three, two, then one. The clock struck six fifty five, and I stood up, slinging my pack on. "See you guys later." I said, eliciting a smirk from Russell and a nod from Nikki. I set off across the campus, the night air warm. It took approximately five minutes to walk from the dorms to the sparring room.

I pushed open the double doors, walking down the steps to the ring. She stood in the middle, spear at the ready. "Good to see you!" She called out.

I swallowed, finding my mouth dry. "Good to see you too." I said.

We stood there, each looking at the other. "Should we begin? I asked, My heart racing.

She nodded. I readied my sword, and launched the first attack, a downward slash. She easily blocked, the same spinning guard she had used in class. I hopped backwards, narrowly avoiding the but of the spear as it passed through the spot where my left leg had been.

I began a flurry of blows, forcing her to block, not leaving an opening for her to attack. She backpedaled in the face of the assault, but I pressed forward, unrelenting. My anxiety had vanished, I noted in the back of my mind. In that moment she found a gap in my offense, and I took a stab to the gut. I inhaled sharply, even as I blocked the next attack. She took the offensive, long flowing strikes, coming from shifting angles. I blocked all of them, but was hard pressed. She swung the spear like a staff, using sweeping strikes that I had to deflect instead of block due to their momentum. She took a swing at my legs, the staff sliding up my blade as I blocked, A flick upwards and I had broken through her guard, landing a swift strike to her side. She didn't even flinch, sending another attack at my legs. She moved with incredible grace. The thought passed through my mind, causing me to hesitate. I was too slow to block it, and the spear struck my legs, knocking me to the ground. As I fell I lashed out with my right hand, grabbing a hold of the spear behind the tip. She lost her balance, falling right on top of me. The sudden weight knocked the breath out of me, and I lay there, gasping for air.

"Are you gonna get off?" I asked, once I had recovered. I bent my head up to see her face no more than half a foot away, her eyes, green as emeralds, locked with mine.

"I think I'll lay here for a bit." She said. "What happened there? It seemed like you paused for half a second."

I was silent for a few seconds. "I thought of you." I said, simply. Her smile was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I reached up, moving a strand of hair away from her eyes. She leaned in closer. Our lips met. I was mildly panicking, I had never actually kissed a girl before.

She pulled away after several seconds. "It's getting late." She said, pushing herself up and off of me. "See you next week then."

I stood up as well. "Why don't we go for lunch on Saturday, actually? There's a noodle place I saw that looks good" I asked, unsure how I was remaining this calm.

"Sounds like a date." She said with a smile. "Send me the address, and I'll see you there."

I walked into the room, the three of them all waiting for me, as I had guessed they would. "So when are you two finally gonna be a thing?" Russell asked, over eagerly.

I frowned. "None of your business, but approximately 7 minutes ago."

"Damn it!" Russell swore.

At the same time Nikki shouted "Called it! Hand it over." Russell hung his head, handing Nikki a handful of Lien.

"Wait, you guys bet on that?" I asked. "Jerks."

"It was his idea." Nikki said with a smile, counting her winnings.

Oran Shook his head. "I tried to talk him out of it. Nikki's been taking notes on the two of you, he was never going to win."

I was dumbfounded. "I… I don't even know what to say to that. Let's start with could you not?" I said, glaring at Nikki.

"Hey, Laurel asked for my help. She wasn't sure how to approach you. You come off as intimidating, what with the fancy tech and your combat skill." She said. "I was just trying to help."

I regained my composure. "Well, thanks, I guess. Still, is note taking really necessary?" I asked.

"Oh not at all." She said without a hint of hesitation.

I shook my head. "I can't believe you." I grumbled, moving over to my desk. I sat down, picking up the pencil once more. I got to work, sketching the rough shape of a spear on the blue paper.