Hello again everyone! Nothing to say today, here's the chapter.

"Hey, you guys might want to see this." Oran called out. He was holding a newspaper, and he looked rather concerned.

I walked over, soon joined by Russell and Nikki. I saw the headline, then the picture, and my fists clenched. Staring back at me from the front page of the paper was the man I had fought. "Looks like they call themselves the Zealous. The guy we fought goes by Rogziel. They suspect that isn't his real name though." Oran said. "They've been targeting dust and tech shipments for the most part."

"So what?" Russell said. "It's not like we're going to do anything about it, that's a job for police or fully trained huntsmen."

Nikki frowned. "That doesn't mean we shouldn't be concerned. We were already involved in a fight with them, there's a chance it could happen again."

"That's correct." Oran replied. "There's also no mention in the article of his abilities. We know that he can move seemingly instantly, and we told the police that. If they know how he does it, they likely don't want him to know that they know."

"So what do we do?" I asked.

Oran glanced up at me. "For now, nothing. However, once the semester ends, I think we should try and investigate."

"So we are going to do something about it then?" Russell asked, raising his eyebrows.

Oran grinned at him. "Not just us." He said. "Team LILC is going to be helping out."

Russell flashed me a smile. "Well, we already have some members helping each other out, if you know what I mean." He said.

I had to take a deep breath to prevent myself from slapping him.

Nikki glared at Russell. "Oh, grow up."

"Hey, you're no saint either, Ms. Takes notes on my friends relationship." Russell said.

"Oh, stop it! I was trying to help!"

"You certainly helped yourself to my money!"

I stopped listening, tuning out their squabble. "So how are things going?" Oran asked. "It seems like you've been on the distracted side lately."

"I'm doing pretty good." I said. "I have had some stuff on my mind though."

"Such as her?" Oran prompted.

I nodded. "Definitely. It seems like now that I've figured out how I feel it's gotten so much stronger."

Oran glanced over to Russell and Nikki, their argument still ongoing, then back to me. "I've always found that true with every emotion. Once you've recognized it, your brain reacts the way you think it should."

"I'm going out to lunch with her tomorrow." I said. I hadn't mentioned that yet, and now seemed as good a time as any.

Oran gave me a thumbs up. "Glad to hear it. She's quite the catch." He said.

I shook my head. "I don't believe for a second that I'm the one who caught her. It's quite the opposite really."

"It may well be true." Oran said. "But you're lucky either way."

We sat at one of the tables outside the restaurant, sitting across from each other. A glance around showed the restaurant to be packed with couples, similar to us.

"It sure is a popular spot." Laurel said.

"Yeah." I said. "It makes me feel self conscious, knowing that we're just another couple crowding the place."

"Oh, come on." She said with a smile. "We're students at Beacon and easily the top fighters in our year at that. We're more than just another couple."

I smiled back at her. "I suppose you're right."

"So what do you like to do outside of class?" She asked, after a few seconds pause. "We've barely had any chances to talk outside of sparring."

"I spend a lot of time building things, like the jetpack or my sword." I said.

Her eyes widened. "I hadn't realized you made those yourself, did you have any help with them?"

"Nope. Both were completely my design and I built them." I said. "What's your pastime?"

"I really like to draw and design things. If I weren't going to be a huntress I would try and become an architect." She said.

"I'm not great at drawing, but I have to do some for my blueprints." I said. "I'd like to see some of your work if you're willing to share."

"I'll show you when we get back to Beacon." She said.

The waiter arrived with our food, a man not much older than us. "Alright, one noodle bowl for you," He said, placing the bowl down in front of me. "And a vegetable soup for you." He placed the other down in front of Laurel.

"Thank you." She said, glancing up at the waiter.

"Just doing my job. Hope you two lovebirds enjoy your meal." He said with a slight laugh as he walked away. I blushed profusely, eliciting a snicker from Laurel.

"You better get used to that sort of thing." She said. I didn't respond, using my food as a cover to not answer. She began to eat as well, and we were silent for some minutes.

"So," I said between bites, "Nikki told me that you asked her for help on how to approach me."

She looked a bit panicked . "I'm so sorry about that!"

"I'm not angry." I said quickly. "Just curious."

She seemed to relax some. "Ever since that first fight we had, on the first combat class, something about you just seemed to demand my attention. Normally I can tell quite a lot about people from how they act, but not you. It was like you were completely different on the battlefield and off, so I asked for help from someone who knew you better."

"Am I really that different when I'm fighting and when I'm not?" I asked.

"No." She answered, after a few seconds. "It took some time, but I think I've got you figured out.."

I raised an eyebrow. "Do you really?"

She gave me a smile, her green eyes staring into my blue. "I know that I have fallen for you. And I believe that you, Gadiel Silvers, have fallen for me."

"Well, you've got me there." I said, smiling back at her. She hadn't really answered the question, but I didn't bother to pursue it. Her answer was all I could have ever wanted.

"I was wondering," I said. "Where did you get your spear?" I had just remembered to ask this, if the spear was important to her then it would be rude to make her a new one. I had already lost sleep over the design, best to ensure it wasn't for nothing.

She patted the pipe shaped object at her side that was the collapsed spear. "I've had this for years, it was a gift from my parents when I was accepted to Signal. It's not in the greatest shape at this point. I'll have to replace it eventually, I think."

Seemed like it would be fine, I thought to myself. I wasn't sure if I should mention it now or keep it a secret, making my best option that of silence.

I found myself staring once more into her eyes, and my heart skipped a beat. In that moment, I was the most content I had been since I started on the path of a huntsman.