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The following is a fan-based

FICTION

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Chapter 27: Of Parents and Mentors (3)

A full week had gone since the Parents' Visit day, and I was slowly coming to realize how tough it is to train under the harsh but solid watch of someone like Professor Aken. I had my fair share of training in the past, but what I was subjected to when it came to this form of training was… nothing to scoff at.

It was Saturday, I was barely holding up at the absurd stamina and 'intensity' behind each assault from the experienced fighter, but I was making some progress. If before I had that sliver of hope that my power would have given me the breathing space needed to pull myself out of troublesome instances during the spars, I was given a wake up call in the form of the Lion Prime just overwhelming me with way faster and stronger attacks. I had a limit within my own power, one that severely cut down the full potential it could unleash in due time, and it was tied to my body's capacity to currently react to some hits.

It's been just two days and… yet I could feel like it's been way longer than that due to how painfully difficult it was to get a good grasp of it all. I learned, and sometimes I failed. Still, it was progress and I could tell that I was doing just enough for someone that just started this kind of training. With it, I also started to feel the normalcy of school being brought back in my life as I started to feel relieved at the slow pace of the lessons since now the next major event was Christmas Break. It was going to start from the beginning of December and end after the first week of January, thus giving us all the chance to enjoy the holiday but also prepare for the second part of the first year. Everyone was content with the grades they were keeping up with, especially Miles as he had now built the interest to finally start a job and get his income rekindled with more funds. His plans were mostly tied to stuff he was completely certain he could do and enjoy at the same time. Photography was explored due to the fact he had experience with it, but his specialization left much to contemplate. While Prism was known as the 'Town of Entertainment' by many young adults, it would be a lie to say that being a photographer for models was impossible. Only… distasteful due to the kind of contracts these guys and girls had to abide. The pay wasn't even that much, but it was still something to start getting his personal economy rolling at his own advantage. And 'meeting chicks' with a good excuse.

There was some head-scratching when we first heard that second motivation, but it wasn't unusual due to how we knew him behaving. Everyone was also trying to do the same, with some exceptions like Davin, Toby and Vixy. The trio was just able to depend for the time being on their respective parents' money, but I knew the Fox Prime's reason to not try despite her own curiosity on the matter was tied to cheerleading itself. That was some tough extra-curricular activity that drew on her free time, and she couldn't put work too without losing completely a moment to spend in relative peace… or doing homework. Shin was quick to find a simple job as assistant to a small library. It wasn't much, but considering how old he was, he couldn't exactly try his chances at better jobs until he was eighteen or older. And this decision took me to the situation that got me particularly unsure how to handle the work situation… with Hope. She was interested- and she had the chances to easily get in touch with some managers if she wanted to already start a career as a singer. The club that Vixy told her about and that she eventually joined to see how it had had her in high regards with her natural gift when it comes to her voice. I heard her singing and it was… amazing. Breath-taking even- but the situation I was presented with really put me in an awkward spot. Which wasn't a novelty.

She approached me about the situation with Shin. Which wasn't also a novelty.

And she asked me for assistance in finding a way to act in that regard without being too extreme about it. Which got me frowning and asking for a clarification on the matter itself.

"Could I just… ask to be hired at the same library?" The Gazelle Prime inquired with a hint of nervousness and a fair amount of awkwardness.

The simplest answer was no. Sure, approaching him that much would be fine… if the girl just wanted to wack it at his face that she was in love with him. Or that she was dependent on him and creating more misunderstandings than not. The negative answer only prompted a lengthier conversation on the matter. I could still remember the words I shared with the young woman's mother, and there was just something about her that left me particularly… uneasy. She definitely knew of my interest in Hope, which was why I was so surprised that she was more concerned about Vixy's situation than the one I had with her own daughter. There was just something about this approach that, even though legitimate as I knew I could actually fail if I wasn't as cautious as possible, still felt like she was being too 'calm' about Hope.

Maybe I was being too paranoid, but it never hurt me being a little more attentive on this kind of matters. Getting back on Hope, the situation wasn't exactly that simple due to how things could go from one way to another, and I suggested that for now she picked the job she believed would be temporarily the best for her. It hadn't to be something extremely draining on her, but something that she felt she could do without hurting her own schedule in the process.

She merely decided to check for any role that was relatively minor and didn't impact much on her references when it came to an early leave due to a personal motivation. I voiced my support on that, but she quickly asked for another awkward request.

"How about I work as a waitress at Shark Bites?"

If the place had the opening, I would have already suggested it to it… or alluded. I wasn't exactly sure what path I would have taken to deal with it while also avoiding getting too 'pushy' in that regard, but the girl was soon dismayed when I mentioned that the activity had plenty of waitresses already and one more would have been draining on the overall income. Annoyance built up, but I managed to get a surprising hug out of her about it. She was so incredibly frustrated that she didn't say no to it.

It felt really tense, but the girl melted at the warmth and seemed to ease down just enough to resume her daily tasks.

She had been rather quiet on this matter while her parents were around and I could tell it was also tied to the fact that it would have been felt awkward if she tried anything with them and others around… but also because her sister proved a little bit more rambunctious than I expected her to be. The first meeting gave me a simple but genuine understanding of Joy Ravenhurst's personality, but the fact she was someone that loved steaks more than veggies and that I provided her with that kind of good food while they were enjoying that lunch, kind of created an interesting but slightly amusing scene between the two.

"Marry him. If you love me, marry him," She demanded from her older sister, which prompted chuckles at the table at the red-faced reaction from the annoyed sibling.

"W-Why?!"

"Because he makes good food! Marry him!"

"Why don't you marry him yourself, then?"

"...That's a stupid reason for me to marry someone. Plus, he is your friend already-"

"S-Stop it!"

Vixy seemed more entertained than not, recognizing that it was mere banter than anything 'serious'. I was spared some jabs about it once I was done with the work and I decided to go and check my girlfriend. After that awkward conversation things in our relationship were rather tame. Due to school and other duties, it was tough finding moments to go on dates and… we had yet to go into one. I knew Tiggs offered help to try and free up some time about it, but I would always refuse due to the fact it meant going through something she didn't like completely due to her own affection for Vixy and putting her through more burden due to taking care of parts of Vixy's own duties as head of the cheerleaders. It just didn't feel right.

As I finished this, I found myself staring at the gray ceiling of the training room, only now realizing that I had briefly blacked out after the umpteenth concussion caused by the usual strike that got through my defense. The Lion Prime was calmly retrieving his things, once more in a hurry from what I could tell was tied to his usual schedule. It wasn't unusual for him to leave this suddenly, and he mentioned that it was tied to some things he generally did back to college that required his attention and full time for him to get through those.

"Next time, more focus on your opponent," He pointed out calmly, a small smile on his face. "Of course, without draining yourself too much because of it."

One last advice, then the man walked away completely and left me thinking on the ground as I contemplated why I had accepted starting earlier than planned. I thought that, maybe, it would have started easier than expected but… I was proven wrong by the teacher's ruthless approach when it came to training-related sessions. He was a completely different individual than what I was accustomed to see during his classes. Still, my power was developing and I got the chance to test them out and expand on them thanks to the environment where we were training and I knew it was going to be an interesting circumstance for sure.

Slowly standing up from my lying position, I realized it was getting fairly late and I had yet to get through part of the homework before going to bed. With how intense work and training had been, I just had little time to get through both at once. Of course, I didn't lament about it, knowing that both were important for me to keep a stable life and a way to protect myself and those I cared for and I wasn't going to give up getting better and… better. Wisdom was the kind of power that required time to be nurtured, all because going too fast too much could easily damage the user's psyche and compromise the chances of attaining full grasp of this kind of magic.

As I finished retrieving my own items, I took a moment to check my phone for any message. I paused just a moment to read through two new ones that I had received respectively an hour earlier and… just a few minutes earlier. My curiosity wanted to check on the more recent of the two, but I decided to check the older first. It was a message from Vixy, she had just finished showering and had decided to send me a particularly interesting picture. This one surely was going to be difficult to match somehow. Not in terms of pictures, I was more planning about… a date? That should be enough without making it too frisky of a relationship.

The second SMS was from… Shin. I felt confused at the unexpected content of the letter as the blond went through a lengthy account of a situation he had noticed happening during a tutoring session with Hope. I was surprised by this development, that he was actually keeping tracks of any strange behavior from the girl. Something that I kind of seen with interest but a degree of uneasiness at the chances of him catching on to the matter far too quickly and regard too abruptly about it.

I kept on reading as to what might have gained his attention, and I froze when he mentioned that he saw her draw a few hearts around two names. He was sure that one of those was Hope but he couldn't discern the other name. Still the news opened a new situation regardless of the fact he hadn't caught on this matter himself.

Shin now knows that Hope is fancying someone. And he will want to talk about it with someone. And I think that someone is… me.

A sigh, then I put the phone back in my pocket as I knew the next few days were going to be quite difficult to get through with that novelty...

"You're here much earlier than expected."

Ifera's voice sharply cut through the veil of silence born from the duo's arrival. Staring down at the young Narakhans she had requested for, she couldn't help but scowl and being slightly frustrated by the fact these two were indeed way earlier than she had expected them to come here in Prism. Maybe she had terribly overestimated the elders' patience to handle the unusual duo.

Of the two, there wasn't one that particularly stood out as the 'stablest' individual due to their flaws countering their merits. Ayah was a brilliant sorceress that was devoted to the Emperor to her core, with her loyalty unquestionable whenever it came to missions of this kind. Sadly she was also impulsive and terribly easy to lead around in combat. Too immature, any elder experienced in this kind of case would have labeled as. She was far from ready to assume a direct role, but still a capable chaos-user that could act well as support if the leader had a degree of control over her. Ifera had met Ayah many years ago when she was just starting to train, and while the two had little chance to collaborate with each other, the Fennec Fox Narakhan was open to listen to her words and not let her own impulses control her actions while the older woman was around.

Drake was the opposite. He wasn't as loyal and convinced to the glorious cause driving their tribes to resurrect the Emperor, but he was still a solid helper and fighter. If put at task, he could easily win most foes many acolytes would have trouble with. A sharp mind that specialized streets-smart and could adapt flawlessly at any new situation he might end up facing against. Ifera had met him just once, but he was still a powerful tool for the completion of their plans.

The problem with their sudden arrival was mostly tied to the current state of their headquarters. After spending some time trying to plan out a relocation, the Coyote Narakhan had to find a better place where to set up their operations and… the one they were currently using wasn't completely safe. It was a small abandoned building by the docks, one of the oldest storage areas that had been forgotten by its previous owner and that Ifera had caught after a few weeks of searching. While she kept track of the human from afar. Despite her determination to focus on the mission, it just left her pleased every single time she took off from her search to check and make sure Frankie Parker was still around. For her to capture in the near future. The reasoning behind that move was still questionable due to the lack of the next step, but she was fairly sure her morality about it was still quite invested in nothing safe for him.

"Apologies, Sister Ifera. The path proved to be… easier to traverse than expected. We should have written a letter to tell you of this instead of bringing this surprise… suddenly."

Ayah, as expected, was the one that controlled the diplomatic aspect of this awkward situation. She was the planner, the one that wanted to prove she was growing up and becoming more capable in handling the stress of leading major missions. Ambition that Drake lacked due to his content nature in merely serving their faction. Despite his moderate opinion, he was still an able and effective warrior that even Ifera had to admit was going to become a great elder if he managed to live that long and remain tied to the truest cause of good.

"Your apologies still doesn't fix the fact that I will have to address new routes to find food and sustain the entire group at once instead of a few days that could have avoided any suspicions during these much-needed tasks."

Both were young and brash, but easily submissive when it came to a form of stern authority. She was the leader and there was no chance these two were going to be given a free pass for their ludicrous attempt to impress her with their earliness. There was a reason why punishments were handed out for those that didn't follow their orders to the letter. An early arrival counted as dangerous as a late arrival. People could notice, a tracker could have been dispatched to tail them, and perhaps they were currently getting monitored.

…

No, that wasn't the case and yet she couldn't ignore the chances of this happening. While Ifera had long set down special seals that monitored any powerful magic source within the area, the odds of those being discovered wasn't anything to scoff at. Which was why she knew this area couldn't hold well if they didn't place better seals around that weren't going to be discovered by others.

"Sister Ifera, if I may," Drake spoke up, drawing a quiet nod from Ifera and… a scoff from Ayah. "What I believe Sister Ayah forgot to mention is that we were forced to take a detour that led us to Prism early due to an unexpected checkpoint that had been set in the route we were meant to take."

…

"Is that so, Ayah?"

The plum-haired girl gritted her teeth and looked away.

"Y-Yes- I would have handled them if they weren't that troublesome, but I had to concede to a different path to avoid our trip to be interrupted or even quashed by our enemies," The sorceress admitted, gaining a hum from the Coyote Narakhan.

"Then that would motivate your change of path… I suppose it's a legitimate reason, I'm glad that you two made it without gaining any attention and sparing enough thought to not endanger yourselves," Ifera praised, knowing better than just pressing onto punishing something that couldn't have been avoided. The circumstance offered genuine enough reason to change their plans, but it left her mostly… confused. Why were there checkpoints in the area when she hardly passed through there?

"Still, did you find the motivation behind such development? Anything from the people that you have eavesdropped?"

The question gained a hint of confusion to both younger Narakhans, with Drake recovering first due to the unexpected query.

"We… thought it was your doing when we first heard they were checking for Narakhans," The infiltration-specialist explained, gaining a nod from his teammate. "This is not the case?"

"No," Ifera replied curtly, her lips forming a tiny scowl at the fact that this only meant a possible new issue to keep an eye out for. "But it would seem like we would have to face more trouble than expected. If not aimed at ourselves directly, through the indirect failure of a possible independent cell having taken initiative in hunting down the child of the Light Crest."

"That's troubling-"

"But not something that will stop us," Ayah interjected fiercely, almost glaring at the young man. "We will manage to capture the filthy Light-child and then bring back the Emperor."

"An admirable drive to the cause, Sister Ayah. But I'm afraid I have to say it will still not be easy, especially with the circumstance that urged me to require your and Drake's presence here to aid me in this mission," The Coyote Narakhan argued with a serious tone. "I assume you read the letter I sent back to the elders."

"Shin Aryoko isn't alone. There is the daughter to Fire and Love studying with him, Death, and… a human Knight?"

"As much as unnatural it sounds, the human I faced had knowledge of combat and a discreet hold of… magic," Ifera caught herself from adding the little accident that put many things she considered absolute in doubt. And made her also think of the many ways she could explore to get answers to her new desires. "Which will be captured. Frankie Parker is the weak link and the one that holds information about our success."

"We could kill him," Ayah suggested, waking up a hideous feeling from within Ifera that didn't manifest due to a scoff from Drake and a shake of his head.

"And lose our ticket to the objective? If the guy is that important, then maybe they would increase the guards if he is known to have been killed by us, literally shattering the chances of us succeeding."

The plum-haired girl seemed ready to argue this point, but the older woman intervened.

"Brother Drake is right, the path to success isn't driven by ferocity but by patience. Our revenge is the Emperor's, never the opposite, Ayah."

That seemed to be enough to put an end to that conversation from the slim agreement coming from the sorceress. Their current plans were now to solidify their hold in the area, find a proper source of food and… plan out the next attempt to do something now that Christmas was approaching. Failing to capture her target would mean waiting a full month of doing nothing but keep themselves afloat. It was going to be tough. And these two were going to be troublesome… but Ifera knew that the worst bit was the chance of a possible third party involved with their mission. Someone that wouldn't hesitate to ruin their chances and hurt the one she wanted.

And that, Ifera realized with a vicious grin, wasn't going to happen- not when she was going to do her best to destroy these foolish pretenders.

"I think there is something wrong with me."

Tiare had heard many strange things from Angel, but this one- this one actually had her pause in her current task and turn to look at the Bunny Prime. She had been busy with new research on Nanozell, one that would definitely provide her with a nice position at Ambar Industries by next year, yet the novel development had her curiosity, attention and worry. The fellow woman was lying on the big bed that they would share with Davin, still dressed and staring at the ceiling with a bored look.

"Are you sick, Ms. Loveridge?" Era inquiring, her head tilting so she could peek over her partner's shoulder.

"Not that kind of 'wrong'," The tattoo expert added. "I'm… confused about something that should be happening with me."

"Please, just say what is causing you this 'distress' if it's important."

A huff, then her pink eyes were aimed at Tiare. There was so much going on there, but the main element the Cat Prime could discern was immense confusion.

"I told Davin I wanted to go after some other guy. I told him it was a one-time thing and I wouldn't have bothered him again," Angel started to explain, and the brunette's interest slowly dropped at this topic. "It was a month ago."

"And?"

"And I didn't do it."

Tiare's eyes gleamed in brief surprise. "So, you didn't have the time to-"

"Fifteen times. This is how many times I had the chance to escalate and easily get that done, but I didn't."

…

"Is it the human?" The bespectacled woman inquired with a fascinated look. "Parker? Is this tied to the fact you have invited him for your painting job a long time now since you met him?"

"His smooth skin allows for the best canvas. I never imagined so much potential with humans, and he appreciates the style too so… yeah, I guess I got a little carried away with that bit- but still, I wanted to-"

"Have a one night stand with him, it didn't happen. Why didn't you do it?"

"It wasn't like there was a lack of trying-"

"Then why, Angel," Tiare interjected once more, cutting her mid-rebuttal. "Why did you not take that step?"

"I don't know..."

There was a strange silence that ensued, and for the first time ever the brunette felt like this situation was out of what she could have expected out of Angel. Angel was a mess of an individual, that was without doubt the best way to summarize her attitude. Despite her confidence and drive, she was still someone that couldn't bring up the past without cracking and turning rather unpleasant no matter who she was talking to. So, when it came to psychological effects that were causing her to hold back from going through that plan, there wasn't much that could be said without opening a can of worms nobody wanted to open.

But Era was feeling bold that day. Either she was excited over the research she was helping with, or perhaps she had been interested in the matter more as she would be around while Tiare was busy, sometimes listening to the two talk.

"It's because you like talking to him."

The sentence, in itself, felt very sudden and confusing as it didn't explain anything with how it was worded in that precise moment.

"How does that tie to-"

"Everyone needs someone to talk. Tiare talks to those she trusts, same for Davin, Tobias, and even Frankie," The Nanozell Spirit elaborated. "You too need to talk with someone and you know that, if you decided to sour that relationship through that sudden move, you would ruin that chance for yourself."

"That sounds like a lot of crap. I talk with people-"

"But not for that long. You ask things, you answer at times, but those are minor inputs and you never take part in lengthy conversation. When was the last time you… were asked how were you going?"

A scoff left the Bunny Prime's lips. "Is that really important?"

Holding back an awkward look at realizing that she never asked that too, Tiare nodded slowly, but it was Era to elaborate.

"Everyone has a limit when it comes to Emotional Stress. You might have tried to work it out with Davin when you need to… have fun with him, but that doesn't mean you get helped with the Emotional Stress you accumulate on a daily basis. Everyone needs to talk to others and let it out or it can be quite destructive to one's mind."

"And you think talking with Frankie did that?"

"More like it helped you through it. It's not an immediate reaction, but it's definitely something that would explain why you have been more focused on things lately," The brunette argued. "You are smart, but you used to not put any effort in classes- what changed?"

It was rhetorical, but Angel knew the answer and still replied to the query.

"Frankie. And I talk to him a lot but… why would that prevent me from going through with what I want?"

"Because you don't want to lose what you have now," Tiare remarked with a serious tone. "Deep down, as much as you ignore it, you have someone that is genuinely listening to you and not giving a damn to any of the rumors about you. You found a listener and you don't want it to be tied to a one night stand."

…

"That bad?"

"I would say horrible considering how you normally behave when you are stuck in these dilemmas. I suppose you will have to say to Davin you're not doing it."

…

"What if… I do it anyway?"

"Angel-"

"But not legit one night stands. I was thinking of something… more tame? Less troublesome so to speak-"

"Ms. Loveridge, Frankie is in a relationship with Vixy."

"Well, it's college. Of course you would do something behind your girlfriend's back- right?"

"No," Tiare replied dryly, eyes back to the screen of her PC. "And I don't need to explain why that is a poor idea."

At this point Angel wanted to really answer and say that it wasn't her business. But she asked her help first and… she knew it was true. Going through that route would spell an end of her friendship with Frankie due to the current circumstances. But maybe something could be worked out to make everyone happy while also getting to deepen what she got with Frankie. There was a lot to ponder about and…

Angel knew, deep down, that there was a solution to this. A solution that would finally curb the heat she had growing in her chest as she thought of the times the human would tell her something she found hilarious. That and his hot abs.

AN

Training-

Stalkers-

Talking about possibilities-

That could escalate in lewd.

The bipolar nature of this fanfic sure is reaching its peak… hopefully things don't explode when best performance is reached…

...Nah!