'Home Again'
Sat alone in the back of a rather cramped classroom was the very drowsy, sleep-deprived leader of Team MTST. Maron couldn't remember much of her own morning, it had gone in such a short time that the student wondered whether she managed to catch any sleep at all or simply blinked. She recalled having thrown on her usual outfit as it was the first that she could grab just to keep from being late to class, but now she was starting to question whether coming here was worth it; She wasn't alone on this either from the looks of the drained faces in the room.
The old man wasn't at fault. Truth be told, were it not him serving as the class's instructor every student might as well be absent one way or another because Dust Manufacturing and Usage could only be so interesting. It wasn't all bad though, it was an easy class on a subject that just about everyone knew and only a handful of them would ever need it in their lives. Unfortunately for the smallest academy in Remnant, is every other school was offering it, Shade would be foolish not to do the same.
Either way, the old and retired Huntsman standing before a completely blank board went on about his personal experience with the mystical substance. It was better than getting handed papers and projects to do that was for sure, and as luck would have it, the lecture was just wrapping up.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes (to little effect), Maron took up her belongings and was of the last to push out the exit. The halls were a little cramped, there wasn't much in the way of breathing room when everyone was frantically trying to weave through the crowd just to get home, to their dorms, or just to the dining hall. Naturally, this sometimes caused unwanted, or in some cases wanted, tension when two teams bumped into each other or when competitive rivals met eye to eye. Needless to say, it took a little more than 'self-control' to stop a brawl from breaking out and it certainly didn't help when fights between students and teams was allowed so long as an experienced Huntsman was there to keep blood from being drawn.
Maron finally pushed her way through the crowd and emerged in a clearing. No longer was she shoulder to shoulder with more students, but instead she found herself at the foot of a window overlooking the whole city that surrounded Shade. The wonderful sight slowly turned sour as her eyes fell down upon a certain shotgun-wielding brunette butting heads with another team's leader. The blonde let out a sigh of frustration. They had just got back, but Maron guessed that some things would never change and turned to find the nearest stairwell.
It had taken several minutes to finally arrive to ground level, but Tenne and the two others she was up against were still at it as expected. "Russ. Just. Shut up. For once in your life." Said the girl trying to tug 'Russ' away from the confrontation. 'Ultair' or something like that if Maron remembered correctly.
"I'm trying to defend our name!" Russ exclaimed.
"And I'm trying to stop you from dragging the rest of us down with you! Now let's get going before you make this any worse." Ultair said as she shot a look at the approaching Maron.
Stepping out from the cool shade into the blinding light of the sun, Maron accompanied Tenne who, apparently, wasn't done yet. "Wow, the team leader can't even control himself in front of his team, let alone lead them." Tenne hurled.
"I don't want to hear that coming from you of all people!" Russ resumed.
"Well tough. Maybe with that self-assured attitude you could actually do more for your team instead of 'dragging it down' as they've mentioned." Tenne returned with a smug grin forming on her lips. Maron knew her teammate was enjoying this a little too much, but she was too tired to be interested nor was it worth the effort.
That changed when the trident was thrown down and stabbed the earth.
"Challenge accepted." Said Tenne.
"Oh, what the hell!" Both Maron and Ultair cursed in unison at their respective comrades.
"Really? You're like glass." Ultair insulted Russ.
"Yeah, and remember when we were told to stay on the school's good side?" Maron asked Tenne.
"Well it's a little late for that." Tenne waved away while on her scroll to change a few settings.
All they could do now was wait for a Huntsman or teacher to show up but with the day being at its highest, there was one Huntress looking quite annoyed at being dragged into this with the occasional spectator. A few of whom losing interest after seeing who was involved.
"Alright, let's get this over with." The Huntress.
"I didn't agree to this!" Ultair yelled.
"Doesn't look like you backed out and you know the rules."
"Then I forfeit. Russ, you're on your own." The girl said with a scornful expression.
"Don't just-" He started only to be interrupted by her again.
"Don't care." She shot down, not even bothering to stay and watch.
It would have been silent were it not for the few students doing their best to try and keep quiet.
"Can't even keep a girl happy with ya', good to know!" Tenne laughed. Russ gave her a glare.
"You know the rules, kiddos: No blood. Now start." The Huntress said, still hoping there was an excuse to leave.
Maron pulled her staff from her back, snapping it into a bow with the push of a button. Tenne did the same, only it was her mace that hung from her hip and together they were about to face just the leader of RUST. Nothing particularly glorious or noteworthy, 'War of the worst', as a few people called it, but unlike RUST, MTST could only go up from here.
Russ made a sprint toward the two girls. As expected of him, he immediately went for his trident, but he also formed a small buckler shield on his left forearm with a flick of his wrist and charged straight at Tenne.
Maron fire an arrow only for it to be deflected off the shield as she back away from his fight with Tenne. Though Tenne did manage to hold her own for a while, once Russ grabbed his weapon the field changed. The brunette received a stab to the stomach but thanks to quick thinking and fast reflexes, she managed to grab its end and mitigate the damage it could inflict. This cost Tenne her weapon, but she wasn't one to rely too much on it. While their shoving match went on, Maron took the opportunity to come from behind only to be bashed with the buckler when Russ noticed. If she wasn't wide awake before, she was now.
Sliding across the ground, Maron only fell short of the tiny crowd that bothered to watch. Picking herself up and dusting herself off, Maron snapped her bow back into a staff and waited for Tenne to either give her an opening or be put in danger, or both.
Maron watched Tenne swing her mace into Russ's stomach and was about to bring down the mace were it not for him returning the favor by dropping his trident and following with an unexpected punch. Stopping to assess the damage gave much needed time to the other team leader, tearing off his shield and combining with the tip of his trident to make a pseudo-battle-ax before turning to face Maron. Back to the bow it was. The first arrow hit his foot, causing him to stumble. The second hit his shoulder which lowered his guard, but as the 'ax' drew back Maron had no time for a clean third shot and instead slid on her knees underneath the wild swing just to get a good third shot off. Maron proceeded to grab the ax-man by the leg and pull herself up with it and simultaneously tripping Russ. She was clear, she could have easily gone for a finishing touch however, a familiar pair of judgmental eyes told her to do otherwise. So, she did, and fell back to help up Tenne who was still staggered from the heavy hit.
"Well look at you." Tenne coughed, "Not gonna' steal the show?"
"Just shut up and fight." Maron said, pulling her to her feet, "'You know who's watching."
"Like a damn hawk…" Tenne agreed once she noticed the growing crowd.
Across from them, Team RUST's leader was getting up again. His shield was abandoned on the ground, his shining silver trident glistening in the sun, and the two girls back to back at the ready.
"Any ideas?" Maron asked.
"And I thought you were the leader…"
Maron went ahead first, catching the trident's prongs with her staff and twisting it out of Russ's hand, but apparently it wasn't the first time this had been done as he let go just to grab it again once Maron was in a bad position he thrust the trident forward. Fortunately, she was not without backup and upon falling to her knees, the butt of Tenne's shotgun rammed into Russ's nose and a kick pushed him away from both Maron and his silver weapon.
Still he wouldn't call the match over.
Tenne went once more for an overhead strike, but Russ shoved her away. Maron did the same believing she had an opening, but found her staff ripped from her hands and being used against her. On her left, Tenne kicked over the fallen trident to which Maron rolled out of an incoming attack to pick up. The blonde spun on her knee to strike her target in the leg. Tenne joined in with a few shots from her shotgun which all but sealed Russ's fate, especially when Maron just missed his foot and purposely trapped it between two of the trident's prongs. Falling to his knee, he looked up to see Maron over him and with a strong knee to his chin she took her favorite weapon back and ended the fight upon the voice of the supervising Huntress.
Maron looked back to Tenne who gave wink and an 'ok' with her finger and thumb. Already everyone was dispersing, leaving only the defeated, the victors, and a hand full of stragglers.
Whether it was Tenne's warning or dumb luck, Maron snapped around to fine a trident a good foot or two away, stopped only by the hand of their professor. Steele, having a far greater strength than the student he stopped, pulled the trident away with the polearm being pressed against Russ's neck.
"The match is over. Further combat is forbidden and you know that." Steele said. He tossed aside the weapon and after a brief moment of defiance, "Quit trying to tarnish Shade's name." Steele finished and with that, the loser of the match finally complied. Maron put a hand over her chest and sighed in relief, Tenne a little less worried.
After a few moments of watching everyone else vacate the area, Steele turned to face the two members of MTST with a displeased look. They would not get out of this one easy.
"And you two." Steele began, "Don't think you're going to be let off the hook for this. I thought I specifically told you to stay in the school's good graces!"
"Well, there's nothin' against having a supervised fight." Tenne answered.
"Just because you can, doesn't mean you should."
"Come on, we did alright, right?" The brunette asked.
"It was a two-on-one, not only that, you appeared to have struggled in the beginning so saying you did 'alright' is an overstatement. Besides, you instigated the fight, Tenne." The Huntsman pointed out before turning to Maron, "And you joined in."
"Uh, wrong place, wrong time?" Maron tried to explain with a smile. Steele shook his head to give her a slow 'no'.
"It's the first day back and while I don't expect much, Tyra is already doing her part in digging herself out of this hole and Sinna seems to be more attentive in class according to her professors."
"So did we." Tenne retorted.
"Yeah, but you also started an unnecessary fight." He pinched the bridge of his nose, "Alright, you get two more, but you two are going to be aides for us, if not the staff, then me. So, grab your gear, go put up what you don't need, and do something useful!"
A.N.: Ay, welcome back!
Yes, it will take a lot to get the four up and useful. More trips outside of Shade is more than likely. And definately, it'll take more than words to get them all motivated. And there will have to be lots of it.
As always, enjoy!
~Firetoast312