Exercitation: putting into practice; exercise
In which Hatz has a newfound respect for Eve after a small spar, and a jelly Bam finds them in a somewhat compromising position.
Evolet was still drowsy from her sleep. She woke up with droopy eyes, blinking confusedly at the lack of a certain brunette that she was definitely hugging during her sleep. Rak was snoozing on his stomach not far from her, the space where Bam was supposed to be empty. Bleary with sleep, Evolet reached around with a small whine as she realized Bam was truly nowhere to be seen and she just lost her main source of cuddling.
The purplette was wondering if she should get up and search for him when she shivered lightly, feeling someone breathing down her neck. Come to think of it, there was something around her waist since earlier too. She turned around slightly, trying to get a peek on who was doing so. When she caught the perpetrator, a fond smile curled upon her lips as her gaze softened.
Khun had the most peaceful look she's ever seen on him, breathing in and out slowly in his sleep. His arms were snugly wrapped around her waist as he spooned her, though she had to admit it felt ticklish since he was breathing down the back of neck. It was so comfortable that she considered just sleeping again, which wasn't hard since she was honestly still drowsy and they even stayed up late last night.
Right… Just… 5 more minutes...
Not even a second after she closed her eyes again, she was promptly interrupted by a notification from her Pocket. Grumbling irritatedly at the interruption, she summoned her Pocket in visible mode and clicked on the new message.
Apparently it was just Yunuen saying that there was going to be a discussion in a few hours and Lero Ro asked her to come and explain a few things. Lero Ro had always been suspicious of her since the Floor of Tests, and no doubt that suspicion only increased after her disappearance and involvement with the Workshop Battle.
With a small resigned sigh, Evolet quietly slipped out of Khun's hold and sat up. She patted the bluenette's head, watching with a sleepy smile as his face scrunched up before relaxing to the palm of her hand. As much as she wanted to just hug him and sleep again, she should get up now. She was in charge of making breakfast today after all. Not to mention the date…
That quickly sobered her up, last night's conversation flooding back into her mind. In the end all she got from Novick was that "date" was a fruit, which isn't technically wrong but Evolet was sure it had a different meaning. Khun had said "go on a date" and there was absolutely no connection whatsoever to the fruit. What was "go on a date fruit" supposed to mean anyway.
There was one time she tried to look it up on her Lighthouse, only to find out Yunuen actually restricted her access to everything involving "date" and "dating". Honestly, it made her all the more suspicious especially when there was no one who was willing to explain it to her. At some point she'll probably ask a random stranger to explain it if she's frustrated enough.
Lost in her thoughts, the purplette hummed as she prepared herself for the day before wondering what she should cook. Preferably something that's suitable for hangovers and could be reheated, since some of them are definitely going to wake up late. Let's just say she ended up making one dish too many after being unable to decide what she should make.
One odd thing that struck her was that Bam was still nowhere to be seen even after she finished cooking breakfast and serving it to some who already woke up. Which was why she was now wandering around the resort to look for him, partly because she wanted to see what the so-called Wolhaiksong resort had to offer. She ended up in front of a random training room after hearing some noises from it. Though much to her dismay, she found Hatz training instead of Bam.
The ravenette noticed her arrival almost immediately as he stopped swinging his sword. "Eve?"
"Ah, sorry Hatz-san. Am I interrupting?"
"Did you need something?"
With one final look, Evolet sighed at the lack of Bam's presence in the room. She could've just trailed after him using the Shinsu strings, but it wasn't as if there was an urgency either. So she'll just wait until he shows up, he might be preparing for his date with Endorsi too. "No, I was just taking a walk."
Her gaze trailed to the sword in his hand, a soft smile blooming on her expression. "You're working hard as always, Hatz-san."
Not expecting the sudden compliment, he hurriedly looked away as he mumbled out a small thank you and got back to swinging his sword. Hatz had expected Evolet to leave after that, but instead she closed the door before settling down on the floor and watching him intently. Her stare was prickling his back, somewhat curious as he continued his training in silence.
"Hatz-san, are you up for a spar?"
He froze up at that, turning around to the purplette who stood up with anticipation in her blue-violet eyes. Now that was an offer he liked to hear. The grip on his sword tightened, swinging it lightly as if to test its weight. He simply took a random katana from the display assortment on the wall to practice with earlier. "I won't hold back."
"Of course, I'd be insulted if you do."
At first he was somewhat skeptical when Evolet took out a pair of folding fans out of all things. But he knew better than to let his guard down. The swordsman kept to his previous words, or rather, he couldn't afford to hold back right now. His eyebrows were furrowed in a mix of concentration and frustration. He had expected this to a certain extent, knowing it's been years since he saw her and no doubt she'd grown by now with how long she spent in FUG with Bam as partners.
Fighting in a closed room with Evolet was the equivalent of an extremely troublesome opponent that was nearly impossible to beat unless you have a wide range deadly skill. And quite unfortunately, Hatz wasn't one to have it. Her attacks were the least to worry about, having little impact that didn't hurt much even if it did hit.
But she knew how and when to use momentum to her advantage. Small Shinsu platforms would suddenly pop up randomly in the room and she would jump around like a pinball and launch towards him at full speed. Hatz had truly thought he lost his neck for a split second. He didn't fail to notice how her fans would suddenly turn black, in turn gaining a much sharper edge almost like a sword. It just made him more wary how it wasn't like that all the time and that meant he needed to watch out for her timing.
The biggest problem he was having right now was that none of his attacks were actually hitting. Evolet was still smiling from the very start, absolutely relaxed during the spar. Not even a hair was out of place as she dodged his attacks elegantly or parried his sword easily with her fans. Hatz almost felt like he was being played. There was no point in his attacks if it didn't hit. And Evolet's way of dodging him was… almost distracting he had to say.
One thing that he figured out was that Evolet was extremely flexible. At least flexible enough to the point you'd think it's inhumane. Just when he thought he had her, she would suddenly backflip smoothly with only a small space between her back and his sword. Or she would just suddenly do a split and dropped down to the floor before practically springing up. The way she moved was a distraction, and it's certainly working well. Especially with how he would suddenly trip on some Shinsu strings that he could've sworn wasn't there a split second ago. If only he knew how much Evolet loved to use the walls to her advantage.
Eyeing the other swords on the wall, he quickly made his way and grabbed another random one before pulling away from the wall. Hatz threw one of the katana just as she sped up towards him, effectively making her freeze before trying to step back. The keyword being "trying". The swordsman didn't miss the opening, already closing in up on her and a sword inching towards her neck. But Evolet was still ever so calm, her smile never disappearing and instead widening as she slowly fell backwards.
"Nice try, Hatz-san. But… that's not quite enough."
His eyes widened as Shinsu enveloped her one of her folding fans, raging wildly before forming a Shinsu sword with the fan as a hilt. His attack was effortlessly blocked as she regained her footing and tripped him to make him lose his balance so that she could push him back. And pushed back he was, straight down to the floor.
"Too bad. It's my win, Hatz-san." Evolet grinned brightly as she straddled him with a sword of Shinsu to his neck and one hand on his chest, oblivious to how the usually composed swordsman now had a vibrant blush painted across his cheeks. His composure was long gone now, replaced with his never seen before flustered state. Her light lavender hair draped around then like a curtain, making him focus on her blue-violet eyes gleaming with mischief and threatening to spirit him away to the depths of the night in her gaze. Hatz really did have to admit she looked ethereal at the moment.
He was looking anywhere but at Evolet, thinking how this position was a little too suggestive for his liking. The purplette herself seemingly has no guilt or better yet, she wasn't even aware of what she was doing. Hatz would really really appreciate it if she got off of him soon before something problematic happens. Before either of them could do anything, there was a resounding crash as the door banged open. Evolet was abruptly pulled away from Hatz and into Bam's awaiting arms instead.
With Evolet safely tucked to his chest, Bam glared intensely at Hatz. His molten golden eyes possessive and almost seemingly feral as if telling to stay away from what was his and the Scout tensed up from the danger he sensed as he immediately stood up. His threatening gaze was gone the same instant Evolet reached out to his head, gentle blue-violet orbs peering up at him. Bam practically melted to her touch. No trace of his previous hostility, relishing in the warmth of her hand as she patted his head with a smile. Hatz felt like he was watching a lion being tamed in front of him.
She nonchalantly pressed a tender kiss to his forehead, whispering a "welcome home". Bam sighed contentedly as he mutted out "I'm back", wrapping his arms around her and settling nicely into a hug from behind like it was the most natural thing to do. The poor third wheeler simply stood there with a blank expression, wondering how normal this was. They were acting like a married couple for goodness sake.
"Thank you, Hatz-san. That was a good spar."
Hatz nodded to that, noting how Evolet looked exactly the same before they started the spar and not a single hair out of place. He eyed the fans in her possession, the Shinsu sword extension now gone.
"Eve-dono, what was that?"
Eve-dono…?
Evolet blinked at the new suffix to her name, though she didn't comment on it. "It's a form of Shinsu extension. I used my fan as a hilt and conjured a makeshift blade from Shinsu."
On cue, she let Shinsu flow through the fan again before forming a sword just like before. Hatz was completely focused on it, awed and curious on how it worked. On her other hand, Evolet made a sword purely out of Shinsu for a demonstration. "I can also make one from Shinsu without any handle, but it takes away the element of surprise in battles. It's easier to catch my opponents off guard if a sword suddenly popped out of the fans instead."
Back then, Hatz had also done something similar. He filled in the hollow part of a pipe to strengthen it and utilized it as a sword. But that was on a completely different level than actually conjuring a sword solely out of Shinsu. He merely poured Shinsu into a container and used it as a sword. She was wielding Shinsu itself as a weapon.
There were two possibilities, either she was extremely skilled in Shinsu control or she's been honing the Shinsu swordcraft for the longest of times. Hatz would say she's the former rather than the latter. Would he be able to do it too? With enough practice, most likely yes. How long would that take? He doesn't know. But Evolet has his respect for displaying such refinement at least.
Said purplette was already off to the meeting room after Bam told her that he was sent by Yunuen to search for her. Bam himself was still latching onto her as she walked nonchalantly. Much to his dismay, they reached the meeting room sooner than later and he wasn't quite allowed inside for some reason. Evolet only chuckled as he silently released his hold on her, playfully telling him that he should go and prepare for his date. Bam pouted for the briefest of moments, thinking how he would much rather go with Evolet on a date but he couldn't turn Endorsi down with how persistent she was.
He'd love to formally ask Evolet on a date, taking her around the town or something along the lines and see the smile he loved so dearly as if he didn't see it everyday. He wanted to hold her hand and show her places as her blue-violet eyes gazed fondly at him, tell her that he loves her and will always love her till the end of eternity. But instead he sighed, knowing his date today was with Endorsi and not with Evolet. The Anima smiled at the pout he showed, tiptoeing a little to give him a kiss on both cheeks. Bam's cheeks were painted in a rosy red, a giddy grin across his lips like he's been given the most precious thing in the Tower.
Evolet giggled softly at the lovestruck expression Bam had, thinking it was simply happiness that he was feeling instead of something more complicated like love. Well that was a given, since she never expected him to love her and anything of the sort. She gave without expecting anything in return, thinking that it was more than she could ever ask for. And more importantly, she didn't want to burden Bam even further by asking for something she shouldn't. She caressed his cheek lightly and Bam didn't waste any time to lean into her touch, content with what they had and what she gave all the while wishing for more endlessly. The warmth was gone all too soon when Evolet retracted her hand.
"I'll see you later m'kay, Bam?" Despite how he wanted her to just stay by his side all day, Bam nodded and let her go in the meeting room.
If Lero Ro thought something was up with Evolet before, now he was sure of it. She entered the room casually as if she had no worries in the world, as if there weren't any Rankers in the room that could prove to be a threat. It wasn't arrogant confidence that he sensed, but more of a calm certainty that one wouldn't expect a Regular to have when faced with a Ranker. Was it because she was an Irregular or…?
"Shall we begin the discussion now?" He'll just have to see what he can find out from this meeting.
Hachuling hummed as Lero Ro's Lighthouse whirred on the table. "There's nothing about FUG's movements and there's nothing new from the Archimedes too. What happened should have been a big issue. It's true that the Workshop Battle of mere E-rank Regulars wouldn't get much attention, but still… The Higher Ups must've been involved. Especially since it wasn't broadcast."
"Are you saying that… someone planned all of this?"
"Well… that much is a given since the little missy over there was definitely involved in it."
Their attention was now focused solely on Evolet so was still as calm as ever despite the pressure from the Rankers present there. Hachuling's sharp gaze bore into her. It was a beautiful blue, she thought. But it was not as deep nor as complex as Khun's cobalt blue eyes, she loved Khun's eyes better. "Yes, it's just like Hachuling-san said. This, to say, was more or less the result of a political fight between a few Higher Ups."
Well, one of said Higher Ups was her, but she didn't need to say that aloud. Hachuling had a somewhat amused glint in his eyes, chin propped on one hand as he stared straight into reflective blue-violet orbs. "Hey, missy, who are you really? My database said you're an E-rank Regular who's also the Slayer Nominess's partner, but that's not all… right? Call it a Scout's instinct."
Evolet didn't back down from his gaze, smiling at him. "I don't really have an obligation to answer that, nor am I allowed to answer that unless you're looking for your life to be targeted. But I'll tell you a little something since you're Khun-san's family. I am simply on my team's side, no more and no less. I suggest you don't dig into this matter too deeply. I may not make a move against you, but that doesn't mean my allies and FUG won't."
The bluenette didn't miss how she deliberately separated the word allies and FUG. She was no doubt involved with FUG past being the Slayer Nominee's partner, though he didn't know to what extent. Does she still have other allies to cover up for her other than FUG? Or was she also forced just like the golden-eyed Irregular was? His urge to ask those curious questions were insanely high. Evolet only exhaled lightly at the look of curiosity, having no intention of answering any of them. Maybe she should just stay silent for the rest of the meeting.
She already sent Jinsung to wrap things up with Karaka beforehand, so things should settle down for a while. But she was rather puzzled regarding Yunuen's whereabouts. He had been the one to drag her into this meeting and he wasn't even here. If he was here then she could've made him cover up for her so that she'd be viewed less as the suspicious Regular who might or might not be the mastermind of this whole scenario. Unknowingly to the purplette who was lost in her thoughts, Khun was now facing one of his biggest crises in life because of the very same missing Yunuen.
A/N:
So~ Because this book is getting a tad bit too long for my liking, I'mma end it around chapter... 48-50. At first I planned to shove in the "filler"/"original" arc I've plotted in this book, but I'mma just move it to the 2nd book instead. So this Book would end at... Right about the part where Hwaryun tells the team to split up in order to prepare and train for the Hell Train. Am I glad this book is near the end? Yes. Am I planning to write a super angsty one shot special chapter to celebrate the end of Book 1? Also yes :D