Disclaimer: Arknights and all related characters are properties of Yostar and Hypergryph.
AN: Well, final chapter. This fic is (rather conspicuously) missing a chapter from Durin's perspective, as I don't have a very good grasp of her character (and, once again, I'm lazy). I will try my best to add one if anybody wants it, though.
From Yato's perspective, the day had gone… okay so far. Though it was uncomfortable meeting so many new people, at least they were relatively sociable. It was a good change in the schedule every now and then.
Once they reached the bar, Noir Corne and Yato sat down next to his buddies, and the group began conversing.
Well, they were conversing. Yato was just answering any questions that came her way and trying her best to act calm while drinking the juice she ordered. She was still in an unfamiliar environment around unfamiliar people, after all.
Soon after, though, she saw a familiar silhouette walking through the entrance – Rangers had arrived. Noir Corne also saw him and beckoned him over. "Hey, Rangers! Over here!"
Seeing them, Rangers walked over and sat down next to Yato, ordering a cocktail as he did so.
"Hello, Rangers." Yato said.
"Hello, Yato. How did the day go?"
"It was… okay. We did some training in the morning, then Noir Corne took me to meet some of his buddies." Yato motioned towards Noir Corne, currently chatting with Dylan.
"I see. I took Durin around Rhodes for a bit and went to Kawalerielki's Champion Hall once she went back to her dorm room. Heh, you wouldn't believe how useless some of their weapons are!" Rangers chuckled.
"They're competition knights. Their weaponry is intended, in part, for aesthetics."
"One of them uses a candle holder, Yato."
"As… an Arts focus?" Yato was trying – and failing – to imagine a heavily-armored knight holding a tiny candle holder in their hands and chanting.
"Yes. Back when I was younger, I could've probably split it in half with a single blow."
"And now?"
"If necessary, I could still kill them if we fought in the wilderness." The words were spoken casually, as if there were no threat of death attached to them – a testament to how much bloodshed Rangers had gone through to get to where he was now.
"Mm. Competition knights may be the best of the best in the arena, but they may experience difficulty in a real battle." Yato agreed.
"Speaking of combat, it has been a while since we've fought for Rhodes Island."
"It has been mostly the newer Operators going on the battlefield." Yato sighed. "However, I still do wish that one day, I can fight on the frontlines with the Doctor."
"That's why you keep fighting?"
"Yes."
"Heh… I still remember, back in the valley, we always chanted our battle cries before battle. The ones who fought for glory always chanted the loudest… and died the earliest." Yato wasn't surprised nor frustrated when Rangers suddenly started talking about his past – he did that a lot, and his stories were always interesting.
"So, what was your role?" Yato was genuinely curious.
"I fought first for the excitement of battle, and then to protect my comrades."
"Did you succeed?"
"No. Most of them died. Some of them are still alive, but I've long since lost contact with them." Rangers took a sip of his cocktail. "Sometimes, after battles, I would turn to alcohol to forget them, but I always had to accept their deaths in the end."
"Ah… okay." Yato couldn't emphasize much; despite being a seasoned warrior, she hadn't experienced much death like Rangers had.
"Hm, enough of that." Rangers laughed. "Life's far better now. It's pointless to dwell on the past."
"Mm." That, Yato could agree to.
"I assume life goes back to normal the next day?" Rangers asked next.
"Yes." Once again, Yato wasn't sure whether she wanted that or not.
"Is it possible that the Doctor will need us for anything?"
"Not really."
"Just training then, huh." Rangers sighed. "I should have expected that."
"A4 is the foundation of Rhodes Island's paramilitary force, nothing more." Yato sighed.
"Though we will always aspire to be something more."