Ren sat at her desk feeling a lot happier, the looks of horror as she walked onto school grounds had lifted her spirit a little bit.
"Um… Alauda-san." A hesitant voice asked from her side.
"Huh?" Ren looked up into the face of a girl with layered short black hair with two longer pieces in the front that framed a smooth face and big emerald eyes. It took a minuet to register that those eyes belonged to Atlas. "Atlas!? Is that you?"
"Y-Yes, do I look strange?" she asked hesitantly, gesturing to her uniform, which was still that awful yellow but the puffy sleeves were gone and the white collar as well, a black tie went around her waist and tied to the side in a warrior looking knot. Tight black sleeves clung to her arms, the skirt was a few inches shorter and it didn't fluff out any longer but lay flat and elegant, there was a slit all the way up her right side and underneath were black leggings and black flats. She was lucky the dress was just pale enough not to make her look like a huge bumble bee.
"No, you look amazing, who would have thought the yellow monster could be turned into something cool. It just took me a moment to recognize you without the glasses, you look much better."`
Atlas smiled shyly and sat in the desk in front of her and turned around to face her, "Truthfully I only need to wear them when I read, otherwise I can see just fine. I've decided I'm no longer going to be weak I'm going to live for myself!"
"Have you now, and how are you going to do that?"
"I'm going to become strong, like you." She said with both determination and a little hero worship. "So I was going to ask you, will you teach me to fight?" Ren stared at her for a moment as she thought about it, the hero worship in the girls eyes got bigger and bigger until she almost felt guilty for not immediately saying yes.
"Come with me real quick." Ren said and lead Atlas out of the classroom and into the nearest girls bathroom. "So you want me to teach you how to fight, but are you really ready for what that could mean." Ren began to unbutton her barrowed shirt. "Fights aren't like the ones in your books were it can seem all hero and romantic, fighting is dangerous you could get hurt or die if your careless or if your opponent is stronger than you, and fighting means hurting others or possibly killing them. And even after the fight is over and wounds longed healed they can stay with you forever." Ren dropped her clouths on the bathroom sink, she stood there only in her underwear letting Atlas get a good look at the scars and wounds allover her body.
"These are from the fight I had last night I nearly died, and theses scars are from a time where I was captured tortured and raped for information I didn't have. Fighting is not something just physical but mental as well, can you deal with it?"
It made Ren feel better when Atlas didn't answer right away as she took a good look at Ren's scared and battered body. It meant she was really thinking about it and deciding if she was ready for such a task, then Ren saw it that fierce determination and she nodded her head. "Yes. Yes, I can handle it, I want to be able to be strong then get even stronger after I find something to protect. Just like you, if- if I find something I want to protect with my whole heart then I think the cost to me will be worth it."
"Spoken like a true warrior, alright I'll teach you. We will start right after school, be prepared my training will have you passed out on the ground." Ren said redressing then returning back to class were the other students were looking at her when she didn't come in uniform again, she glared at them and they returned to their own tasks. But when they saw Atlas walk in behind her their stares of shock returned ten times. "First lesson, don't let anyone judge you. The only one worthy to do that is you, stay true to yourself." Ren saw her student nod then hold her head high as she followed her into the room.
Ren coached Atlas the entire day and discovered that the girl once she gained a little confidence in herself and learned to speak her mind had quite the sharp tongue and attitude. Ren spent most of her class time working out a training plan, Atlas was built slim and lean, witch meant her flexibility and speed would be her biggest assets, but strength was going to be harder to acquire. Ren would focus on her stamina and flexibility first while slowly building up her strength then balance and reflex before she started actual combat training. When it came to that it would be a bit slower, Ren wasn't quite sure what her weapon could be yet, but she would keep her eyes and ears open for a suitable one. Maybe Reborn would have one.