The boat docked and the first to excitedly greet the land was Gon. The port was lively and had a warm atmosphere. People were bustling around with mainly those who were trying to take the Hunter Exam. Buses lined up on the side, near the port and there was a large sign above it saying, "To the Hunter Exam.". Valeria stepped off the boat after Gon with a bored face that questioned why she was even here.
"Can't believe I'm here. And not in a good way." She muttered to herself while scratching her head in annoyance. Kurapika, who was next to her, overheard Valeria's lament.
"Um, Valeria? I was wondering this since I first heard your name...but are you perhaps part of the Lavine clan? Or Longhu, in your language." He asked. He carefully watched her reaction, as if calculating what to say next.
"Lavendar what clan? I ain't heard of them before." Leorio slung his bag over his shoulder. He looked around the city and added: "There sure are tons of people. You don't think that if we go onto the bus too late, they'll kick us out?" The man looked very anxious as he kept glancing at the bus station and his watch. Valeria simply rolled her eyes as she answered both males' questions.
"Don't you think there's another way to get the exam site? I mean we thought we scored a stress-free ferry ride but guess not. It was simply a test. And yes, unfortunately, I'm part of that clan."
"...I think you should be at least grateful that your clan is alive." Kurapika commented. His eyes glowed red, without the notice of Valeria. Just speaking about his clan and hearing Valeria's disrespect towards her own unnerved the boy. Valeria stared at him briefly before replying.
"I think we're better off dead. Besides, the majority of us die by the age of mid thirties to forties. " Valeria tilted her head, thinking hard about it. The only exception she could think of was the previous clan leader- a power hungry old man. She shook her head and before Kurapika could ask what she meant, they saw a stranger knock over an old lady while calling her a turtle. Valeria walked up to the man and with a light flick to the head, the man fell down with his consciousness gone. She then outstretched her left arm to help the old lady who bowed in gratitude.
"...Well...I guess everyone has their own circumstances." Kurapika didn't like how the girl regarded her own clan and how she was ungrateful for what she already had. But from what he just saw, she wasn't necessarily a bad person and as limited the information of the Lavine Clan gets, he knows that they all had monstrous strength. Perhaps, it wasn't his place to judge someone who he barely knows.
"I'm glad we came to an understanding," Valeria replied with a lazy grin. The two seem to immediately make up and are acting like the best of friends. Leorio watched the two wander off, after Gon, breaking out into a cold sweat. Did they just ignore the fact that the Gorilla girl made cracks in the concrete floor just by flicking the forehead of a man down onto the ground?
Leorio shook his head and went after them, looking at the map. He tilted his head in confusion. "Hm? The mountain is in the opposite direction? Shouldn't we take the bus? Gon, you should be more suspicious of others."
"I'm still going. There must have been a reason." Gon left them behind with a determined look on his face. He had already decided that the captain who guided them here would not benefit from lying to him and he was willing to take the risk to go on an adventure.
"I'm against pollution and my middle name is 'Nature Wild'. I prefer the mountains rather than taking the bus. I'm going to follow Gon and see where this will take us." Valeria adjusted the strap of her bag before she turned away from Leorio and Kurapika.
"Seriously?" Leorio and Kurapika stared at her.
Valeria turned back with a mocking smirk, without losing her lazy glint in her eyes. "I remember someone saying 'you should be more suspicious of others.' Looks like Gon isn't the only one. Of course my middle name isn't 'Nature Wild'." Valeria mimicked before turning around.
"WHY YOU-Hey, Kurapika!" Leorio's face turned bright red from embarrassment and anger. He then blinked in confusion as the blonde next to him laughed, then quickened his pace to walk next to the other two.
"It's not the captain's advice that is making me follow them, I'm more interested in what Gon does and Valeria's line of thinking. I think that the captain's advice wouldn't go to vain and it would be a beneficial experience to interact with these two. I'm going to tag along with them." Kurapika commented before turning back.
"Do you think Leorio-san will be okay?" Gon looked up at the two older people who had caught up to him. He glanced back at the retreating man with a look of worry covering his face. Valeria rolled her eyes and shrugged carelessly. "He'll probably be back in a few seconds. I have someone in my village who's just like him."
Kurapika laughed. "Is that why you are constantly making fun of him?"
"Of course not. Admit it, you two enjoy messing around with him...he's just that easy of a victim." Valeria yawned. "Besides, I'm pretty sure the captain has a reason for pointing us here. Leorio just has trust issues." As soon as she said this, there was the sound of feet approaching along with a man's voice screaming. The group, except for Kurapika, didn't bother looking back. "In fact I hear him yelling."
"W-wait for me guys. You might need me you know? I feel bad leaving you guys behind-" Leorio was cut off by Valeria who shrugged her shoulders carelessly. "I bet you just heard something questionable and decided to come find us. You're not exactly the best liar or actor." Leorio pressed his lips together in irritation and just grumbled to himself for the most part. The four continued an isolated alleyway that looked deserted and dust bunnies even decided to float around. At first glance, it seemed like no one had lived here for ages as there was no sound but the soft whistling of the wind.
"This is so creepy...there's not a single person in sight." Leorio looked around as he shuddered. He began to rub his arms up and down, attempting to warm himself up.
"But there's a lot of people here, right?" Gon asked while Leorio and Valeria gave him a weird look. Valeria had a gut feeling that this place might not be abandoned but she wasn't certain. She didn't care either. The area was completely barren with no vegetation. As a person who loves plants and studying them, Valeria doesn't seem to worry about messing up the terrain if something was to happen."I don't know, but we can just tear down the buildings to make it easier."
"I...I don't think we need to do that, but we should stay alert" Kurapika glanced around, resting his hands on his wooden swords.
"H-how do you know there are people?!" Leorio panicked, looking around in confusion and paranoia. His breathing quickened and his eyes darted around.
"I guess they're hiding." Gon nonchalantly point out.
Suddenly, people appeared, with one old woman in a crowd and everyone else wearing masks. The old woman began chanting until she suddenly shouted: "Doki doki two choice quizzzz!"
The group of four stared at her in silence before the old woman spoke again.
"You fellas are heading towards the tree on top of the mountain right? Well that's not possible until you pass through this town. I will present just one question and you only have five seconds to answer. If you are wrong...you will immediately be disqualified and you will not be able to take the hunter exam this year." The old woman explained."Answer with either 1 or 2. Any other answer will be considered incorrect." The old woman finished.
"Hey wait a minute...all four of us are asked just one question? So if he gets it wrong then I'll be disqualified too?!" Leorio pointed at Kurapika who retorted: "That's not possible. On the contrary, the chance of the opposite happening is so high that it's frightening." Leorio immediately got angry and tackled Kurapika.
"But that also means only one of us has to get it right for all of us to pass!" Gon grinned. "Although I'm not that great with quizzes." Looking at the boy then looking at each other, the pair released each other and stepped back.
"That makes sense." The both grunted before looking away from each other. Valeria stared at them with a deadpan expression. She wasn't sure if she was witnessing a typical boyish brawl, though she cannot really call Leorio a boy, or if she was watching idiots flail around like immature brats. Suddenly, a boy popped out from behind Valeria, causing her to swivel around with a hostile look in her eyes. Sensing no danger, she immediately retracted her bloodlust.
"Hey! Are you gonna hurry up or what?If you aren't feeling too confident, why don't you let me go first? Hehe sorry kid. I sort of overheard what you said at the harbour." The boy smirked at Gon. He didn't realize that Valeria had almost planned to grab his head and throw him into three buildings. But she was having second thoughts now."Fuck you too."
"I-" He cleared his throat, unsure on how to reply to the sudden crude words from such a small girl. "I'll go first."
"Here's the question." The old woman began. "Your mother and your girlfriend have been kidnapped by evil villains, and you can only rescue one of them: one is your mother the second is your girlfriend- who would you rescue?"
"One."
"What's the reason for you answer?"
"Obviously, I only have one mother in the whole world but I can always find another girlfriend."
The old woman and the people in masks huddled together to discuss.
Valeria wrinkled her forehead slightly. She didn't like the question-it hit too close to home. One of the many sayings originating from her village was to choose to die or to kill. It was drilled into her head to the point that she just wanted to forget.
"You may go." The old woman beckoned the boy.
"What kind of messed up quiz is this?! Stupid hag!" Leorio began yelling. He turned away and began to walk away. "There's no correct answer and the answer will differ according to the person you ask! I can't accept this. I'm going back to find a different route."
"Hmph...too late. If you choose not to take the quiz, you'll be disqualified immediately and you'll lose the right to become a hunter."
"Leorio!" Kurapika began but was cut off by the old woman.
"I will not allow you to speak another word." The old woman stopped Kurapika. She glanced at Valeria. "Neither can you."
Valeria sat down, crossing her legs and yawned. She ruffled her hair before answering. "Yes ma'am."
The old woman nodded and continued: "Now answer me, 1: you take the quiz, 2: you don't take the quiz."
"One." Kurapika immediately answered.
"Now here's the question: Your son and daughter have been kidnapped together but you can only rescue one of them. One, your daughter. Two, your son. Who would you rescue?"
"How dare you-?!"
The old woman began to count down while Leorio grabbed a stick and began swinging it around. When the old lady finished counting, Leorio began to attack. Valeria leapt up and grabbed the stick, while Kurapika stood in front of the elderly defending her.
"Stop Leorio! Calm down." Kurapika scolded.
"No I can't! I can't accept this system! It's utter bull-"
"Are you going to give up your chance? We answered correctly! Silence is the correct answer since there can't possibly be a correct answer. But the rule was you could only answer 1 or 2. So you can't say anything."
"Wha? But that guy just now…"
"They didn't say he was correct. They just said he could 'go'. Just a moment ago, I heard him scream so this is not the correct path." Kurapika pointed at where the man headed to earlier. The old woman nodded.
"That's right. The true path is this way. It's a straightforward path so you'll reach the top within two hours." Two masked people pulled a door open.
"Old lady...I'm sorry." Leorio apologized.
"No, there's nothing for you to be sorry about. I do this job to meet people like you. Work hard and become a good hunter."
"...Thanks."
"I can't come up with an answer!" Gon suddenly spoke up. The two other males began laughing while Valeria smiled a little. She stood up and dusted herself before putting an arm on top of Gon's head. "The test is over."
"I know that. But...if there ever comes a situation where we have to choose between two people who are precious to us to rescue, what are you going to do?" The two males looked shocked while Valeria stared at him. If it were her people, they'd just leave that's why she didn't reply. Because the weak cannot live. But Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio all wanted to save both- a mentality that could not be found. That new point of view, the more human and warm outlook, was the reason why she wanted to never go back.
"Neither one is the correct answer but there might come a day when we must make a decision." Gon continued. Everyone continued in silence before they decided to move on.
"Wait." They looked back at the old woman who spoke again.
"You…" She pointed at Valeria. "I have a question for you. It's not a test or a quiz...but mere curiosity."
"Yes?"
"If you had to choose between your lover or your parents, who would you save?"
"...There wouldn't be a choice by then. My parents would kill themselves. If I saved my parents, they would kill themselves. If I chose my lover, my clan would brand me as a wise family head." Valeria replied. Her male companions stared at her, mortified, confused and shocked.
"As I expected, you're from the Lavine clan. A child came several years ago with a horrific answer." The old woman stared at her. She then began quoting: "I would save my so-called lover, for the sake of producing an heir, a strong child, and witnessing their coming of age ceremony. I would have killed off my family long before they got kidnapped."
Valeria gave a disgusted smile. "Ah...the Lavine clan's pride and genius...he's always been twisted. Why bother asking me this question?"
"Your aura wavers unstably." The old woman put her hands behind her back. "Good luck on your exam."
Valeria looked at the woman with slight confusion but turned away to end the conversation.