*poker face*
Disclaimer: ._.
"Sure..." The Autonomous weapon's tone came out as sarcastic, prompting the others around her to take her next comment lightly. "Let a bunch of kids walk through the desert, they can handle it!"
As much as the others wanted to continue on, fatigue began to hit each of them like a ton of bricks. With every step they took in the shifting sands, the sun's intensity would seem to grow, and its laughter became more irritating to them.
Through a silent agreement, the remaining group sat down to preserve their energy, and to hopefully cool down before continuing.
"You think Lord Death allowed us to leave because he knew we wouldn't make it through the desert?" Lux proposed her theory, currently sprawled on the side of a dune with a hand shielding her eyes. To the Black-haired woman and Snow-haired boy, it sounded more than likely to be true.
"Probably." Salem agreed with her simple response. Though he showed just as much exhaustion as the others, they could not believe he had yet to shed a single article of clothing. His black attire and mask giving the idea that he would laugh in the face of a potential Heatstroke.
"Hold out a bit longer, I know there are some cacti up ahead." Nico spoke out, hoping to put some motivation into the others.
"Cactus sounds so weird plural..." The brunette managed to add her two bits before heaving a deep sigh of exhaustion. Though the comment was more than out of place in the situation, it did put up a small air of ease. If Lara was still able to joke about things, she would live without a doubt.
Feeling the sun's rays weigh heavy on them, the group decided to continue on instead of slowly baking in the heat.
"By the way," The black-haired woman began as she turned to face the Autonomous Weapon and green-haired woman. "Is my father alright?" Given the circumstances of being shoved with one problem after another, Nico barely had time to stop to ask that question during the other times. Given that she had three of the members that stayed during the attack, she could have her question answered.
Had they not been sweating already from their trip, the cold sweat they broke into would have given them away from the start. Evia bit her lip as she struggled to forge a white lie to keep their leader sane.
"He's under the protection of the local police." Lux replied after noticing the stuck expression on the green-eyed woman.
"Ah... Well, that's good I suppose." Although she had wanted to pry more into the details, Nico had other things to focus on. Keeping the lead as she scanned the horizon for any signs of the desert cactus.
As Evia noticed the distance set between Lux and Nico. The Radioactive Claws approached the Claymore Meister. "Nice save with the police business."
"Thanks, though it up while we were in Death City just in case."
"Can you hear them...?" The red-eyed Meister asked as he watched the Lion Witch press his ear up against the door. After the free half of the group was sent on their way, Lord Death had requested that the Gun Blade and Dragon Scythe stay to explain the events at the Mission. Leaving the others to try an eavesdrop right outside the door.
"Barely, it's muffled, but I can hear most of it." Striker responded, though this small group was still under the supervision of the Demon Scythe Meister, they saw no harm in them trying to get details on their soon-to-be punishment.
The blonde Claymore sighed a bit as she stared up at the ceiling from her seated position. Jo's saddened expression soon catching the attention of Damien.
"And what's up with you?" He asked, grabbing her attention for a moment.
"Worried, something you should be feeling too." She had no care if her words were sharp, especially given that the red-eyed man could barely remember he had a Weapon partner. Said older man shook his head and leaned against the wall, if he was going to be given sass, he might as well stop the conversation altogether.
"Salem saved you?" The Lion Witch stared over at the Swordswoman after hearing about the small event. The black-haired woman frowned as she remembered the moment. Never before had she felt so powerless than at that moment. Up to that point she had figured herself to be on par with the others despite wielding a plain old sword. As much as she would try and get stronger with some training, it was not an option at the moment. The Academy representatives even warned her of the consequences she would go through if she so much as grabbed the hilt of her blade.
"Y-yeah..." Given the simple answer, the Lion Witch resumed his little eavesdropping job and continued to focus on deciphering mumbles into real words.
Feeling a familiar gnawing at his stomach, the red-eyed man decided to take a chance and asked a question. "Are we allowed to get some food, would be really bad if I died of starvation before you punish me."
Upon mention of eating, the ash blonde woman glared at Damien. "We don't have any human souls to feed you."
A deep sigh escaped his lips as he tried to form a proper response. 'I can't look that much like a Kishin, can't I?'
As if to answer his unasked question, Maka crossed her arms and increased the intensity of her stare. "It almost looks like you want to eat me..."
"Interesting..." The Shinigami stated as he stared at the bright blue orb that hovered above the palm of the Gun Blade's hand. "Is there any reason you've held onto that boy's Soul?"
As much as Kid wanted to confiscate it from the Weapon, it's not like consuming it would increase the boy's chances of escaping. Not when he's at the heart of the DWMA, filled with Students and Teachers that specialize in killing off Kishin Eggs.
"Reminder of what I've done, I killed him, albeit an accident, so I will carry the burden," The black-haired boy stated as he tucked the Soul back into his pocket. Although noble to be done, it did not look well at first glance. "But enough of this recounting memories bullshit, what's our punishment?"
Given enough time through the explanation, the Gun Blade retained his usual demeanor, minus the cheer with added anger. However, the Shinigami Scythe beside him evened out the vibes with his bright smile. Ice had gone off topic during his explanation just to ask his cousin an unrelated question, which soon caused enough irritation to Kid to have the rest of the speaking be done by Roy.
"Considering that you are all still young, I cannot use traditional punishments, yet at the same time I cannot allow your group to leave," Lord Death stated as he began to pace around the two in a perfect circle. "Therefore, I am keeping you all here in the Academy until further notice."
Both black-haired boys raised an eyebrow as they tried to comprehend how that had become a punishment. "Sounds more like a paid vacation, you getting soft on me, cousin?" Ice responded with a cheeky smile, a chuckle escaping his throat as a growl emanated from Kid's.
"You will stay in the dungeons of the Academy, yet allowed freedom to roam in the unrestricted areas under the supervision of my staff."
The brown-eyed boy nodded in understanding, turning around to excuse himself with the Dragon Scythe in tow.
The Following Morning...
"This should be more than enough for our ride," The black-haired woman stated confidently as she handed over a large amount of bills to the driver to pay for their cab fare. While the driver began to count the bills, the others began to exit the large limousine. After dealing with the harsh desert trek, the group did not hesitate to arrive at their destination in style and luxury. "Thank you for taking us such a long distance."
Giving the young woman a wide smile as he stuffed the bills into his pocket, the driver pulled out a card. "I should thank you for actually paying, you are more than welcomed to call for my services again."
Taking the card and looking it over, the black haired woman felt a bit elated to have someone to depend on for transportation. Giving a nod of affirmation, Nico stepped away from the driver window and joined the group on the sidewalk, all staring at one particular home.
Nothing seemed off about it, a standard one story home with a nicely kept lawn. A bland gray color for the exterior while the windows had curtains that concealed the interior from their sight. No cars were in the driveway, but as far they knew, one could be sitting behind the closed garage door.
"So this is your home?" The green haired woman asked as she looked over at the brunette, receiving a joyous smile as her answer. Though quickly followed as they stood in place waiting for their next move.
"So what do we do now...?" Evia asked as she stared at the others. Not even Nico could think of a way to answer the question given that she had no instructions other than to reach this location.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to sleep in my own bed now," Lara stated as she rushed up to the doorstep, reaching in her pocket for a key to let herself in. Leaving the door wide open, as if inviting the others to step inside. Walking through the hallway, the brunette turned a corner to find her eldest brother seated on the couch with a book in hand. "Hey, Paul, where's Keith?" It intrigued the Gun Blade Meister that the man had yet to question why his younger sister had returned home.
The man's eyes remained glued to the book as he responded in an apathetic tone that seemed to have no interest whatsoever. "He went to the gym." By the time that he had answered, the other four stepped into the home and watched the siblings converse with each other.
"You mean you left our accident prone brother to go workout alone?" The sound of a closing book accompanied a heavy sigh as Paul turned to face his sister. As he was now facing the small group, his facial features were more apparent to them.
Much to compliment his tone of voice, the expression he held lacked amusement. Eyes seemingly staring beyond them while retaining a sharp look to them. However, the part in his brown hair swept over one eye, nearly concealing it.
"If he hasn't died from years of accidents, he's not going to die anytime soon," Due to the lack of emotion in his voice, none could tell whether he was serious or not. The older sibling flashed a look at the four teenagers currently standing in the hallway, not even a hint of surprise marked his face. "I see I will have to put reading off for another time, now why is it that you're all here?"
WOOO! Finally wrote something!
Here's two useful pieces of information:
1: I got a Beta, so less mistakes than before!
2: I killed Writer's Block thanks to a friend's advice. And now I need to find a way to thank him immensely. But I am back in the saddle and will answer all questions down the road! Hope you enjoyed the chapter despite the wait! I need to go sit down and catch my breath from all the yelling!