All's fair in love and war: Ariana earns her wings

Ariana decided she was ready in her uniform and traipsed down the corridor, following Viole who was well ahead of her.
'Viole, wait up!' Ariana ran up to Viole. 'This is our dining area' Viole said, opening her hand to a dark room, lit only by lots of candles and Bunsens. 'Come on in everybody's waiting.' Everybody? They better not ask too many questions she thought. Ariana walked into the room, an inviting aroma filled the place. The room was not inviting. Eighteen faces, seated on an elongated table turned to stare at her. 'Erm hello,' Ariana cleared her throat. She didn't realise quite how nervous she actually was.
'This is Ariana, Lord Dilandau must have briefed you guys about newcomers here, and I'm pretty sure he explained Ariana's situation (He better have).' everyone immediately started turning to each other and whispering. Ariana eyed the table. I'm so hungry, she thought, her empty stomach turning. She spotted a seat next to Chesta and between another boy. 'Just sit down, don't be afraid.' The nerve! 'I am not afraid!' 'Sure you're not' Viole chuckled, milking the sarcasm for all it was worth. Both girls sat down, Viole was sitting opposite Ariana. 'Hey, Viole where's Dilandau?' 'Lord Dilandau doesn't sit with us. He prefers to eat alone, he isn't a very social person y'know, he'd end up starting a food fight or something' Viole's big mouth crept slyly into a smile. She scooped up a handful of mushy stuff in a bowl then sneakily threw it, after glancing around to see if anyone was watching. 'VIOLE!!!' It hit the side of a girl's head with a sickening splat. She turned around and mouthed 'Viole, you are so immature, when will you ever grow up!' Viole instantly cracked up laughing. 'It wasn't me, it was Ariana!!!' What???? She couldn't believe her!!! How dare she, Ariana thought angrily. A man brought some dishes into the room, trying to balance one on each hand. 'It would be so funny if he dropped them!' she chuckled, trying to change the subject.
'Hey, Viole, whose was the painting in your bedroom? The one with the boy the girl an-' Viole went all grave and serious. They were my family; the girl in the painting is me, when I was seven, The boy was my brother, who my mother adopted when he was five. Brother and I were the same age; no one saw much of him because he always wanted to be left to his own devices. One day though on his eighth birthday, he went mysteriously missing. Mother was very upset and became gradually mean, she sent me to Zaibach when I was eleven, so she could have time to think. Dilandau just recently was informed of her death, I was sent this old painting.' 'That's really tragic, do you miss your mother and brother?' Ariana felt guilty that she even had family, let alone hated them. 'I wouldn't know my brother if I saw him, I still think about my mother's sadness a lot now.' Ariana felt so sorry that she was angry with Viole a minute ago. 'I'm sorry' she murmured. 'Well I guess we have to eat sometime!' Viole feebly laughed, trying to put on a happy face. Ariana inhaled the delicious scent of food; something caught her eye, in the center of the wooden table sat the most delicious roast chicken ever. Drool was practically oozing from the sides of her mouth; the chicken was twice the average poultry size. Everyone just dug into the different and exotic dishes. Ariana did so too, ripping a leg off the chicken and totally scoffing it down. 'Hey you must be really hungry, that dish you're eating is a rare type of bird you know.' Commented Chesta. 'Yeah, its delicious too' she answered rudely, with her mouth full.
After dinner everyone was free to walk around the Vione. Ariana, Viole and Chesta all exited, leaving a huge mess behind them. 'Don't worry, people get paid to clean our crap up.' Chesta smirked at Viole when she said that. 'I still have to get you into a guymelef by the end of today,' he reminded her. 'I almost forgot' she looked at Chesta 'So are you going to show me how to use one today?'
In the hangar Chesta, Viole and Ariana were nearing her guymelef. My very own guymelef! All mine! Her mind was wandering off with thoughts of flying above the cities in her brand new Alseides. 'Well get in, press that button and we'll go outside to train' She leapt in and pressed the button, the restraints fastened across her chest. She felt confident in that Dragonslayer uniform. The guymelef started to fill up, as it did the first time. 'Wow these suits really do keep me dry!' The sheild and the face mask shut up, Ariana put both hands and legs into the holes. She held onto the matal bar and could feel the cold metal buttons with her fingers. 'Just hang on there! right if you want to test everything out, you'll have to fly it out of the Vione.' Okay!' she shouted to Chesta. 'Pull the handle you are gripping onto towards you. It should make the guymelef hover, don't worry if it makes a noise, then after you have done that concentrate which direction you want to go in'
'Which direction do I want it to go in?'
'To the left, out of the hangar guymelef passageway' This shouldn't be too hard, she thought. The guymelef was in it's stationary position. She drew her breath and jerked the bar towards her body, the guymelef gave a shudder. 'This is it!!!!' Her heart was thumping three times its normal speed, she was perspiring heavily, for the first time in her life, she actually admitted to herself she was slightly scared. Alseides started making a low humming sound, then it started shaking. Ariana trembled 'Don't shout, this is perfectly normal for it to do, if you shout it'll make Chesta and Viole think you're a baby.' she scolded herself. 'Arrrghhh!!!' The guymelef was lifting off!!! Ariana moved her legs, with great ease inside the padding and the lubricant. The guymelef took two steps. 'You're doing it Ariana!!!! You're actually moving it!!!' Viole yelled, stepping back stadily. 'This is great!!!' The excitment built up inside of her. Wow I think I'm going to emotionly explode, now to navigate it. 'Think really hard' she grunted. 'Who are you talking to???' screamed Viole, whose voice was drowning over the guymelefs churning noises. 'I want it to go to the left, out of the doorway, go left, go left, GO LEFT!!!!'
'Heheh, doesn't she remind you of someone when she yells at her guymelef like that?' 'Quite a resemblence!' He smiled at Viole.
Ariana now knew why Van and Allen had enjoyed the battle, she automatically zoomed out of the door. 'Hey!!!' The wind almost swept Viole and Chesta away. 'She's a natural! she didn't even need our tutelage!!!!'
'Yeah, I bet she's better than you, Chesta!!!'
'What?? No way, she may be a naturally talented pilot, but she's still just and amateur.'
Ariana was certainly enjoying this, even though Chesta and Viole weren't there to help her, she gripped the handle bar and found she could easily control this machine, she took it in circles, upside down and all over. 'This must be the flamethrower button' she spoke, feeling the left button near her shaking hand. Ariana foolishly pushed it. 'WOW!! OH YEAH!!!!' Golden flames burst out of her guymelefs' right arm, coating the fluffy clouds. It was a beautiful sight, the heat was just getting her started. She piroetted in the air, 'Hehheh, now to try the invisiblity cloak and the weaponry!' The rhapsodized girl tugged onto the greased rope. The guymelefs' head tucked itself in mechanically and the monster bathed itself in the cloak. 'YEAH!!!!....now I need to build pressure up to test the Crima claw' She pushed a button and held it, the over-excited girl then released her hold. A metal strip shot, as quick as a bullet out of Alseides arm!!! Ariana thought and concentrated. Rapier, rapier RAPIER!!!!! When the metal spike stopped, it withdrew itself and moulded itself into a double-edge sword, a rapier just as Ariana had wished. 'I can't ever believe I was afraid of these things, they are just so much fun!!!!'
'Lord Dilandau!' The two soldiers formally bowed down. 'Chesta, Viole, where is the girl!?'
'Lord Dilandau, she has went to try out the guymelef and test-pilot it'
'INCOMPETENTS! Do you realise she is from the Mystic Moon?? She won't have a clue and I don't want to lose any more of my army!'
'She-she was a natural, we-we tried to get her back, but she wouldn't hear us out.' Chesta stumbled on his words. He was such a baby when it came to authority. 'SILENCE!' Dilandau's face was raging with anger. 'We're sorry Lord Dilandau, please forgive us' they both obediantly answered together. 'Viole, go and set up my guymelef!!!! I will bring her back myself.' Viole flinched. 'Yes sir' Dilandau crossed his arms, cross with the ignorance of his Dragonslayers.
Viole and Chesta sauntered down the hangar. 'Why does he always pick on me???' she stressed while opening the hatch of the red guymelef. 'Maybe he likes you!' Both of them burst out laughing.
Ariana was still experimenting with the guymelef, unaware of the hidden danger of flight. 'flames go on, flames go off!' she consectivly pushed the button that activated the fiery jets. 'Flames go on, flames go o- Hey what is up???' she asked, pointlessly self-questioning. Ariana pushed the button, but the flames wouldn't die down 'WHATS WRONG???' She decided to land it or take it to the Vione, but the fire wouldn't stop. The passionate flames were raging, the skies alight with fire. What if I redirect the guymelef, so it isn't so near the Vione? She flitted in the air, concentrate, concentrate 'IT ISN'T WORKING!!!' Then at those words, Ariana felt a sinking feeling in her belly, as if her innards had all dropped there. 'Arrghgh!!!!' The guymelef was falling, none of the butttons were working, as hard as she could push them. She felt fear strike a light to her as she dropped, Ariana's head was hitting off the top of the plummeting machine. She would hit the land any minute now. This is the end, she thought. I'm not even fifteen yet, at least she knew she had friends. The G's were pulling on her, forcing her head back. There was no hope now. She closed her eyes, ready for collision......

01:42 25/11/01