Standard disclaimers apply. Thanks to Scorcha Zell for giving me such a
nice review!
As Xaria entered the Infirmary, Doctor Kimuri pointed her in the direction of Ainsley's room. Ainsley was sitting up on her bed, and the bandage had been removed from her forehead, revealing a small scar that was nowhere near as noticeable as Commander Lionheart's had been. Xaria smiled and sat on the edge of Ainsley's bed. Ainsley smiled back and then continued to eat a hotdog that had been brought to her.
"Instructor Zell would be jealous that they gave you one in advance, but he still can't get one by waiting in line." Ainsley blushed at Zell's name and pointed to another hotdog on her cafeteria tray.
"He could have this one if her really wanted it, I don't think I'm very hungry." Xaria nodded and watched her finish off the rest of the hotdog. When she was done, she put the tray on a nearby table, placed her hands in her lap, and looked at Xaria.
"So, Sari, what have I missed?"
"Well," Xaria began, "You've been in the Infirmary for three days. Rumors are flying about how a fourteen year old girl could defeat Leviathan." Ainsley smiled at this and softly laughed. "Meanwhile, Instructor Barak administered the first written exam of the semester today…" Ainsley gasped at this.
"That means that I only have…" she trailed off. Xaria nodded in reply,
"Yours will be in four days," she said. Ainsley squeezed her hands together nervously.
"What was it like?" she asked Xaria.
"It wasn't too bad. There are three basic questions; monster questions, weapons questions, and history questions." Ainsley made a face. She had already known this about the test and, although she loved the history questions, and monster information wasn't that hard to remember, she sometimes had a hard time keeping her weaponry straight.
"Don't worry," said Xaria after seeing Ainsley's panicked look, "I'm sure you'll do fine." Ainsley nodded. There was a small pause.
"So," Ainsley started, "How do you think you did?" Xaria paused to look at the time and then said,
"The scores are being posted as we speak, would you like to come and see how I did?" Ainsley nodded,
"As long as Doctor Kimuri doesn't mind." They walked outside of Ainsley's room. Ainsley placed the tray with the uneaten hotdog on the counter. Doctor Kimuri looked up.
"I'm going to see the results of the written exam that was given today. Would you see that Instructor Zell gets this hotdog?" Ainsley blushed slightly as she said this. Doctor Kimuri smiled and nodded.
"Take care of yourself!" she called out after Ainsley as the two cadets left the Infirmary. As they walked down the hallways Ainsley paused to take in the Garden's beauty. After being cooped up in an Infirmary room for a few days, she could finally appreciate the sweeping architecture with it's intricate carved designs, and the fountains that wove their way around the Garden. Although Galbaldia Garden was the more famous mercenary school, there was no question that Balamb was the most beautiful. Xaria laughed as Ainsley stood in the middle of the hallway with her eyes closed. As Ainsley opened her eyes and began walking again Xaria remarked,
"It's nice to be free isn't?" Ainsley laughed and nodded. Together they both made their way to the large computer screen in the main hallway of the Garden. There was already a large crowd gathered in front of the board, and more students were pouring in from the main and circular hallways and the elevator.
"Wow," said Ainsley. "Did this many people take the exam?" Xaria shook her head negatively,
"Most of them are like you," she replied, "They've come to see how a friend did on the exam. Also, people come to see how other people of a similar ability did on the exam so they can predict how well they will do." Ainsley wrinkled her nose,
"Isn't that a little stuck-up?" she asked. "I mean saying, 'oh, this person did well and I'm better than them so obviously I'm going to do well.'" Xaria shrugged.
"Maybe it is," she told Ainsley, "But that's the way it works I suppose." She paused. "I'm going to try to make my way through the crowd to see my score. You stay here, okay?" Ainsley nodded as Xaria disappeared into the crowd.
Xaria managed to push her way to a spot where she could see the screen clearly. She followed her finger in the air down the list of names and percents.
…Shubat, Kyla-78%……Xaria cringed. She felt bad for this girl, who had missed the cutoff by a mere two percent. She continued down the list….Shwinn, Brelan- 92%….Shylu, Tibor-81%…..She smiled. She felt happy that Tibor had passed. Her happiness was fleeting though, and Xaria took a deep breath, her name was nest on the list. She squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again to look at the screen.
…Soucie, Xaria-95% A large grin spread across Xaria's face and she couldn't control her happiness. She jumped into the air, laughing, and landed on another person. Putting her hands to her mouth in shock, Xaria pulled herself off of the floor and turned around to help the person that she had landed on. The blond boy on the floor had a familiar grin.
"I'm happy to see you too, Sari!" Tibor said. Xaria burst out laughing and held out her hand to pull Tibor off of the ground. "I'm guessing that you made it," Tibor continued, "Congratulations." Xaria smiled and nodded. She opened her mouth to tell him that he had made it as well but he held up a hand to stop her. "Don't," he said, "I'd rather find out for myself." Xaria nodded and then smiled at him again before disappearing into the crowd. Tibor watched her go as he shook his head and smiled.
As Xaria walked towards her, Ainsley knew that she didn't have to wait for Xaria to tell her how she had done on the exam. The bright smile on Xaria's face told Ainsley all she needed to know. Ainsley ran up to her older friend and hugged her.
"Congratulations," she told Xaria, "I knew you'd pass." Xaria smiled at her and said,
"I'm sure you'll pass too, and then we can take the field exam together!" Ainsley smiled and shook her head at her friend's confidence.
"Let's take one thing at a time, shall we?" she responded. "You now know of course, I'm going to have to pump you for all of the information about the test." Xaria grinned and the two friends walked away from the main hallway and back to the Dormitory.
As Xaria entered the Infirmary, Doctor Kimuri pointed her in the direction of Ainsley's room. Ainsley was sitting up on her bed, and the bandage had been removed from her forehead, revealing a small scar that was nowhere near as noticeable as Commander Lionheart's had been. Xaria smiled and sat on the edge of Ainsley's bed. Ainsley smiled back and then continued to eat a hotdog that had been brought to her.
"Instructor Zell would be jealous that they gave you one in advance, but he still can't get one by waiting in line." Ainsley blushed at Zell's name and pointed to another hotdog on her cafeteria tray.
"He could have this one if her really wanted it, I don't think I'm very hungry." Xaria nodded and watched her finish off the rest of the hotdog. When she was done, she put the tray on a nearby table, placed her hands in her lap, and looked at Xaria.
"So, Sari, what have I missed?"
"Well," Xaria began, "You've been in the Infirmary for three days. Rumors are flying about how a fourteen year old girl could defeat Leviathan." Ainsley smiled at this and softly laughed. "Meanwhile, Instructor Barak administered the first written exam of the semester today…" Ainsley gasped at this.
"That means that I only have…" she trailed off. Xaria nodded in reply,
"Yours will be in four days," she said. Ainsley squeezed her hands together nervously.
"What was it like?" she asked Xaria.
"It wasn't too bad. There are three basic questions; monster questions, weapons questions, and history questions." Ainsley made a face. She had already known this about the test and, although she loved the history questions, and monster information wasn't that hard to remember, she sometimes had a hard time keeping her weaponry straight.
"Don't worry," said Xaria after seeing Ainsley's panicked look, "I'm sure you'll do fine." Ainsley nodded. There was a small pause.
"So," Ainsley started, "How do you think you did?" Xaria paused to look at the time and then said,
"The scores are being posted as we speak, would you like to come and see how I did?" Ainsley nodded,
"As long as Doctor Kimuri doesn't mind." They walked outside of Ainsley's room. Ainsley placed the tray with the uneaten hotdog on the counter. Doctor Kimuri looked up.
"I'm going to see the results of the written exam that was given today. Would you see that Instructor Zell gets this hotdog?" Ainsley blushed slightly as she said this. Doctor Kimuri smiled and nodded.
"Take care of yourself!" she called out after Ainsley as the two cadets left the Infirmary. As they walked down the hallways Ainsley paused to take in the Garden's beauty. After being cooped up in an Infirmary room for a few days, she could finally appreciate the sweeping architecture with it's intricate carved designs, and the fountains that wove their way around the Garden. Although Galbaldia Garden was the more famous mercenary school, there was no question that Balamb was the most beautiful. Xaria laughed as Ainsley stood in the middle of the hallway with her eyes closed. As Ainsley opened her eyes and began walking again Xaria remarked,
"It's nice to be free isn't?" Ainsley laughed and nodded. Together they both made their way to the large computer screen in the main hallway of the Garden. There was already a large crowd gathered in front of the board, and more students were pouring in from the main and circular hallways and the elevator.
"Wow," said Ainsley. "Did this many people take the exam?" Xaria shook her head negatively,
"Most of them are like you," she replied, "They've come to see how a friend did on the exam. Also, people come to see how other people of a similar ability did on the exam so they can predict how well they will do." Ainsley wrinkled her nose,
"Isn't that a little stuck-up?" she asked. "I mean saying, 'oh, this person did well and I'm better than them so obviously I'm going to do well.'" Xaria shrugged.
"Maybe it is," she told Ainsley, "But that's the way it works I suppose." She paused. "I'm going to try to make my way through the crowd to see my score. You stay here, okay?" Ainsley nodded as Xaria disappeared into the crowd.
Xaria managed to push her way to a spot where she could see the screen clearly. She followed her finger in the air down the list of names and percents.
…Shubat, Kyla-78%……Xaria cringed. She felt bad for this girl, who had missed the cutoff by a mere two percent. She continued down the list….Shwinn, Brelan- 92%….Shylu, Tibor-81%…..She smiled. She felt happy that Tibor had passed. Her happiness was fleeting though, and Xaria took a deep breath, her name was nest on the list. She squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again to look at the screen.
…Soucie, Xaria-95% A large grin spread across Xaria's face and she couldn't control her happiness. She jumped into the air, laughing, and landed on another person. Putting her hands to her mouth in shock, Xaria pulled herself off of the floor and turned around to help the person that she had landed on. The blond boy on the floor had a familiar grin.
"I'm happy to see you too, Sari!" Tibor said. Xaria burst out laughing and held out her hand to pull Tibor off of the ground. "I'm guessing that you made it," Tibor continued, "Congratulations." Xaria smiled and nodded. She opened her mouth to tell him that he had made it as well but he held up a hand to stop her. "Don't," he said, "I'd rather find out for myself." Xaria nodded and then smiled at him again before disappearing into the crowd. Tibor watched her go as he shook his head and smiled.
As Xaria walked towards her, Ainsley knew that she didn't have to wait for Xaria to tell her how she had done on the exam. The bright smile on Xaria's face told Ainsley all she needed to know. Ainsley ran up to her older friend and hugged her.
"Congratulations," she told Xaria, "I knew you'd pass." Xaria smiled at her and said,
"I'm sure you'll pass too, and then we can take the field exam together!" Ainsley smiled and shook her head at her friend's confidence.
"Let's take one thing at a time, shall we?" she responded. "You now know of course, I'm going to have to pump you for all of the information about the test." Xaria grinned and the two friends walked away from the main hallway and back to the Dormitory.