Shade's New Blood – Chapter #02

The return ship back to Shade was a quiet affair for the newly dubbed 'Team Amethyst'. Unlike their fellow accomplished initiates, the four girls of MTST didn't have the energy to spare for much conversation any more than they did staying awake through the duration of the flight home. However, they couldn't rest just yet. Now, they had to go through a long, monotonous, and especially boring orientation hosted by none other than Shade's own Headmaster: A loud, older-looking man with a grey-blue cape of sorts, but the girls of Team MTST couldn't find it in them to pay much attention. They were still worn down from their sudden fight not long before and it didn't help that they were standing at the very back of the crowd which made dozing off a little easier. Even they wanted to, the girls were more concerned with their own experience during their trial and who or what was after them rather than some congratulatory speech from the academy they were now attending. Either way, their attention was less on the rowdy, boisterous crowd and the Headmaster, who was riling them up, and more on themselves and the curiosity, and perhaps a hint of paranoia, that lingered around them. 'Will that swordswoman return?', 'If so, when is she coming back?', 'Should the worse case come, what would be their plan to deal with her?', all these questions and more were on the minds of the four girls, but none seemed to have a real answer to offer, let alone discuss.

Maron was barely paying attention to whatever scripted speech was being recited ahead of her, waiting for someone to speak up, but apparently, she would have to be the one to do so. "So, is no one else going to bring 'it' back up?" She questioned the other girls with her arms crossed, leaning against a pillar just at the border of the artificial oasis that was the school's meeting grounds.

"What's the point?" Toma, who was sat next to Maron and leaning her back against the same pillar, answered with a question of her own. "She kinda' left without a trace, first professor we spoke to waved us off and as far as the rest them are concerned," She said, a quick nod of her head toward the crowd of students, "Our little encounter might as well not have happened to begin with."

"She's right though, we're all thinking it: What do we do if she comes back?" Shae chimed in from her spot opposite of Toma, but on the same pillar, "Though more importantly, why did she target us?"

"Don't know, but I'm willing to bet that we won't be finding our answers here." Maron replied, staring up at the students and attending staff with a look of suspicion. Could she even be among the crowd? A frightening thought, but Maron guessed that the woman would have approached them by now if that were the case. She then looked down to a napping Trya, the only one who seemed capable of handling herself in that fight despite her timid nature. It was an oddity that still had no solid answer either. Since that fight, she had just been napping whenever she could, leaving the rest of the team without an explanation for her raw talents. Still, poor girl was arguably more worn out than the rest of them. However, that was a mystery that could be put off for now. Returning to the more pressing matter, Maron racked her head through every piece of information and memory of their bizarre encounter with that rogue woman. It wasn't a random encounter, Maron could piece together that much on her own. Could it have something to do with herself? She did find one of those trinkets on her own, but when she returned with the others, it was nowhere to be seen. 'That had to be it. If not, it was still the only lead they had.' Maron thought as her eyes widened in realization, 'What else did that woman say? 'A dozen have tried...', 'A dozen have tried...'.' The woman's words echoed in Maron's head.

"...enough of all that. Now, I welcome you all, officially, as the newest students of Shade Academy!" The school's Headmaster said with a proud boom in his voice, snapping Maron to out of her train of thought. The school assembly was coming to an end with the students being allowed to retire to the dorms for the night. After they all were informed of their dorm room numbers being sent to their scrolls, only then were they allowed to leave. Seeing the others on the move, Toma woke Trya up, the girls grabbed their belongings, and they followed the rest of the crowd out into the halls where they were free to roam as they pleased.

Shade's dorm halls were dull, flat, and minimal in their design. They were devoid of anything more than the occasional, evenly spaced-out lights that made the place look more like a prison were it not for the carpets and plain, painted walls to give some life to it all. Regardless, the girls of Amethyst scanned each room one by one, crossing off the rooms' numbers in their heads as they walked by each one. The chatter of other students, both old and new, made the exploration of Shade's dorm halls a little more crowded and chaotic than necessary, but with the minutes passing and the late night approaching, each team would disappear behind their respective doors or drop off their belongings before going out to the main city to celebrate their success or what not. It was the weekend after all, the only generous breath of relief the new students would receive after their harrowing trial that was Shade's initiation. Some would use this time to celebrate their achievement of making it into Shade as mentioned, others worked diligently, preparing for whatever came next, and some, like Team MTST, just wanted to get some much-needed sleep.

After some more patrolling, Team MTST rounded a corner into a stub of another hall, finding only a window at the end and a single, lonesome door on their left. There it was, the room's number and the room itself that would be their home for the rest of their stay at Shade. Maron, being the closest, did the honors of being the first to open the door for them all. She gently pushed open the door as far as she could, stepped inside, and was met with... crushing disappointment. The single dorm room was absolutely tiny at only one hundred square feet. Seems like those rumors and stories weren't just rumors and stories. The cramped, twelve-and-a-half-by-eight-foot rectangular box was empty with a smooth, dark stone floor and pale walls that made the place look like it had just been stripped of all of its belongings. On the opposite wall was a single window, placed symmetrically in the center and barely wide enough for two persons to share the view—assuming they squeezed together.

"You know?" Toma piped up from Maron's side, stepping passed her to get inside, "I had low expectations, and I'm still disappointed." She half-joked, carelessly throwing her duffle-bag to the ground before letting out a sigh. Toma then immediately began her exploration of the glorified closet. Shae just gave a heavy sigh as well as she pushed through the door. Trya on the other hand barely made a sound as she quietly hurried inside to find a place to unpack which, with four of them simply standing in it, made the room a rather tight fit. The dorm itself had two sliding pocket doors that made the room a little less claustrophobic, but not by much. The first was just past the entrance following the wall and, like the window, was placed at its center, opening up to a closet which stored what little there was of the dorm's belongings. Inside on its right housed a small table and a set of cushions which were packed together and squeezed under said table to make the most of the storage space. In addition, there were four, neatly folded futons stowed away and ready for use. On the closet's left, there was storage space separated for the four girls to keep their belongings. Of course, due to the limited space, they could only stand inside and grab their things one at a time, but that was a minor inconvenience to be solved later. Meanwhile, on the wall that was left of the entrance and furthest from the window, was the second pocket door which was already open. Toma was inside, washing her face in the sink and storing whatever toiletries she brought with her. Despite being literally half the size of the main room, Maron dared to say that the bathroom felt rather 'cozy', nothing spacious, obviously, but it was quite efficient with its use of space and could probably be mistaken for an average bathroom for a regular house. She stepped inside the tiled room to a curtained shower immediately on her right and next to it, behind Toma, was another door to a separated room for-

"Before you even think about it," Toma stopped Maron, snatching the blonde's attention and catching her off guard, "I'm calling dibs first on the shower." She stated, patting a fresh towel and her sleepwear with one hand.

"Fine, fine. Whatever." Maron answered, giving herself a mental slap to remind herself that she now had to share the room with three others. "Just looking around." She played off, "Oh, right. We should still come up with an idea in case that woman shows herself again." Maron added.

"You mean our ol' friend 'Fire Eyes'." Toma asked with a humorous smile.

"What?" Maron shot back in confusion at the absurd nickname.

"You know, 'cause she's got those bright orange eyes and the like."

"We're not calling her that." Maron stated, crossing her arms in disapproval.

"Pfft, better than 'that woman' or 'her' or whatever. Better a name now to keep it simple." Toma rolled her eyes, "Besides, she just up and disappeared. And after last time, I'd prefer it stay that way."

"Which is why we need to be ready for next time." Maron countered, letting out a sound of frustration, "This is serious, Toma. We don't know what she wants nor what she's capable of."

"Hey, I am taking this seriously." The other girl replied.

"Then start acting like it!" Maron demanded, "Now-"

"Oh, don't you dare start with me!" Toma snapped, "I take all of our problems seriously, Maron! I stood in the way of a horde of Grimm to protect Shae, I prioritized saving the life of Trya over some shiny trinket, meanwhile you were more than ready to toss her life aside just to get into this damn school." She finished, angrily jabbing a finger to Maron's chest.

Maron swatted Toma's hand aside and retaliated, "In case you don't remember, I rescued you twice!" She reminded, getting into Toma's face before stepping back, "And I didn't even have to the second time."

"Yeah? Well? I did it because I wanted to, you did it because you had to. Since we're supposed to be a team, then maybe, instead of yourself, you should think about-"

"Enough!" A sudden third party interrupted. It was Shae. She grabbed Maron by the back of her shirt collar and forcefully pulled her out of the bathroom. The third girl did her best to shut the door with care, but her own anger and irritation could still be seen bleeding through with a small 'thud' from the door that was thrown between the two quarrelling girls. Shae turned around to face Maron with furrowed brows and a sharp frown, "Do I really have to put up with this for the next couple of years?" She questioned Maron.

"I-" Maron started who was swiftly cut off.

"Hey, we're not done yet!" Toma shouted, opening the sliding door again only for Shae to immediately bark back at her.

"I'll deal with you later," Shae sternly stated, walking over to shove Toma out of the main room, "You've still got people waiting in line after you, remember that!" She told her. Toma seemed to back down despite the stoked fire she still had in her, but Maron wasn't out of the woods herself yet. Taking a breath and calming herself, Shae continued, "Maron, while I do appreciate you coming to our help during our initiation, even when you didn't have too. You need to let it go; we're at Shade now. We can talk about our little 'issue' later and hopefully with someone who can actually help. Right now, we all need rest, that includes you too." She reminded.

Still irritated from her and Toma's spat, Maron moved away from Shae, "Yeah, well, I'm going out." She told Shae, grabbing her staff and quiver, "Be back whenever." She grumbled, storming out the door.

Shae knew it'd be best to let Maron be so that she could clear her head on her own. Some silence in the night and, more importantly, some well-deserved sleep would do all of them some good, especially with her and Trya already at their limits and wanting to call it a night. Shae came to Shade in hopes of finding solutions for her problems, not find new ones to deal with! Argh! Some dumb luck she had to end up with the problematic team. Minus one, Shae mentally corrected herself as she looked back at a bored Trya, barely keeping her eyes open as she sat patiently. Once she heard the shower start running, Shae, with a frustrated sigh, prepared for her last fight of the night.

- - o - -

'To hell with them!' Maron thought as she wandered the now lonely halls of Shade. They weren't her responsibility to begin with, and if they couldn't take care of themselves anyways, then why did she have to pick up their slack? Her first day wasn't even over and already she was both aggravated and annoyed with a team that looked like they'd just hold her back. She still needed to learn the rest of the academy's layout, classes were also coming up which meant preparation for at least a solid year of harsh education and training, and there was still the matter of that stranger that attacked them. Perhaps it was just a one-time thing and they'd never see that woman again, but Maron knew better than to trust such optimism. Regardless, now wasn't the time to worry about such things. Right now, Maron just wanted to clear her head for a bit and maybe use this as an excuse to also explore whatever else Shade Academy had to offer. 'What to do, what to do...' Maron thought as she let out a sigh while she wandered around aimlessly.

Shade after dark was a quiet place, the only ones left roaming the school's main halls other than Maron were a few stragglers eagerly heading out into the city or back to their own rooms. She needed some place with peace, somewhere she could lie back and relax without interruption. Her first thought was to check out the courtyard but, unfortunately for her, other night-owls had the same idea. The school's library was a good candidate with its quiet surroundings and lack of company, but there was the possibility of other students making some late-night visits nor was it really the place she had in mind. She wanted to be alone and undisturbed, somewhere no one would bother to be at this hour and day.

After some more wandering, an idea sparked in Maron's mind. Everyone is either out celebrating, asleep, or preparing for their first classes, right? If so, then there was one place that would be overlooked: The Arena. An odd place to find comforting isolation, she would admit, but she wasn't about to turn around and head back to her dorm just yet. Not when things were still a little 'heated'. Keeping at a new, brisk pace, Maron made her way to her new destination, but when she arrived, she was a bit disheartened to find that she would not be alone as previously planned.

Standing in the sandy pits was a lonesome figure twisting and stabbing at imaginary targets with a glaive-like polearm. Its blade glistened under the moonlight every so often as it swung and twirled around its user. An upperclassman? Maron rested her shoulder against a wall of the entrance as she watched. She did her best to get a better look at him, only able to discern the weapon's owner to have short, dark hair and light skin. Intuition told her that he was a little older than her else he probably would be back at his dorm instead of out here, plus she didn't remember seeing him at the orientation either which only served to support her guess. Nevertheless, a plain, light-grey shirt with dark-grey cargo pants shily peaked out from under a worn, coal-black duster with its sleeves rolled up. Honestly, it was a bit of a familiar look minus the leather, but Maron stopped herself from thinking back on the other woman. She came out to relax, not continue to worry!

The training young Huntsman continued his act. Maron could see that he was letting his weapon do most of the work and guide his movements, only gently nudging the polearm in a loose direction to where he wanted it to slash and spin. It reminded her a bit like how Trya moved during their skirmish—minus the whip of course—and how elegant she danced and weaved through her own weapon. Stopping herself from staying captivated any longer, Maron let out a defeated sigh and turned to call it a night. Maybe she'd have better luck some other night.

"Here to find peace for yourself?" Asked a thickly voice that startled Maron. Turning back around, Maron could see that the young Huntsman's attention was now on her with a curious, soft-brown gaze.

"Oh! I- uh, was just... wondering around." She quicky excused.

"Wandering around the campus during dead hours?" He questioned, reverting his weapon into the form of a rifle before letting fall into the sand. "New student then?" He correctly guessed. Following his weapon's example, he found a seat on the ground with one leg stretched out, "I'd have thought you new students would've chosen sleep after Shade's little trial. I know I did."

So, her was an upperclassman. "Isn't that the truth." Maron agreed, finding her way onto the sandy floor but making sure she kept some distance between herself and this new stranger. Once she found a comfortable seat on the ground, she pulled her knees to her chest, laid her staff at her side, and did her best to relax, but never letting her guard down. By now, the moon overhead was at its peak with twinkling stars shining through the dark blanket of the night sky. "Yeah, I wanted a find a place to clear my head." She admitted, "I'm surprised most of the other spots are already taken." She spoke. Maron was a little hesitant, but small-talk wouldn't be too bad.

"Courtyard's a popular place at night. But I suppose the both of us had the same idea then. No one bothers to come out here during times like these, 'who'd want to replace their free time to just train at this hour'?" He imitated, shooting a friendly smirk to the girl as he showed off the empty surroundings.

"You, apparently." Maron answered in a deadpan tone.

"So, you were watching."

Maron looked away, a little embarrassed now, "I just got here and happened to see, alright?" She told him, eyes darting back and forth to catch his expression which didn't change too much other than the satisfied chuckle. "You said it yourself, no one comes out here, so why are you out here anyways?" Maron demanded to know, doing her best to turn the conversation elsewhere.

"Training, or 'practicing' would be more accurate. Keeps the skills sharp, lets me think, and, like you, it's a nice place to find peace." He answered, putting an arm behind him to keep himself upright. "Don't you have a team to get back to? I hope your team hasn't laid down any 'ground rules' yet." He said with finger quotes from one hand before returning it to his side.

"'Ground rules?'" She echoed. She had a good idea, but wanting a clearer answer, Maron asked further.

"Yep," He started, "Speaking from experience, it's the only way to make those little cells bearable." He answered, "My own team set a house rule so we wouldn't wake each other: 'Get home before this hour or you're being locked out for the night!'"

"And when you weren't?" Maron continued.

"Well... Just hope there's a room available in the city. Or find an isolated spot somewhere around Shade. Or beg, though that came with owing them a favor or two if they were feeling generous."

Maron couldn't help but let out a little giggle at the thought of this poor, fellow classmate being forced to sleep outside. A little cruel to laugh, sure, but still amusing. "What? Rest of your team don't like you staying out? Maybe too much partying" Maron meanly teased, "Or maybe..." She began with a malicious smirk on her lips, but with the way things were going, she cut herself off and left it at that. Strange how comfortable she found herself—in a loose sense of the word.

"As a matter of fact, I did often stay out late, but it's because I had important things to do. Even then, they always stuck together to gang up on me it feels like. Always so pushy and a bit rough, 'Oh, you'll be fine', they said," He followed into a small rant than trailed off into a low grumble, "Anyways, I guess it wasn't so bad, looking back." He finished, pushing the subject to be about Maron, "But you? If you're out here alone, I can only guess that either your team chose the wiser option of sleep, unlike you, or you have gotten yourself in something like a bit of trouble."

Maron stayed silent, resting her chin atop her knees as she thought of the others. However, her imagination could only picture the other girls having a 'less-than-welcome' opinion of her going forward. Furrowing her brows, Maron told herself that it wasn't a big deal and that she only needed to put up with them for a while anyways; though it still stung a little. And it did mean she'd be on her own again. "It's a little rough to get used to," She put it lightly, trying to brush aside the few issues that popped up between her and the others, "I'll just say that we haven't started off well."

"Everyone starts somewhere."

"Really?" Maron questioned in a dissatisfied tone, "How'd you start your first day at Shade then? Or better yet: What was your initiation like?"

"'Rough' would be an understatement. But that's a story for another time. Let's just say it was a bit of a mismatched mess at the start. And a little deadly during initiation." The young Huntsman replied, "But forget about me. What could possibly make your team so unbearable that you'd rather spend the night out here all by your lonesome?"

"That question right back to you." Maron said with an annoyed frown.

"Ok, ok. I get it." He said, putting up both hands in an attempt to keep things calm, "As I've said before: I just come out here for some peace in the night and train a little."

"And your team?" Maron raised an eyebrow.

"Right, well, they're around, just busy doing their own things." He answered as a buzz from under his coat alerted him. Taking out his scroll and checking the new notification, he typed in a quick reply with his thumb before putting it away, "Speaking of which that's my team lead. Just got back from a small mission."

"Mission?" Maron asked with a hint of interest. Wait, if his team leader was on a mission, why was he still here? Did the others on his team just go without him? Questions, questions…

"That's what I said. Don't worry, you'll get to go on a couple sooner or later. But before that, I believe you still haven't told me what brought you out here."

Maron begrudgingly obliged, "Where to begin." She started, "Well, two of them left to rescue our third from a Grimm attack, but I wanted to go and complete out initiation instead. We already lost the little trinket we were sent to retrieve, which was stolen by some..." She cut herself off, settling herself down, "Anyways, I wanted to use what time we had left to find or 'take' another one."

"Cheers to that." Her companion chuckled.

"Fun to know you would've done the same," Maron let out a sharp exhale, "Anyways, I suppose they could do what they want, but we were told time and time again how 'only the strong' would make it. Then they get upset at me for 'not wanting to help'!" She said, raising her voice and letting her frustration get the better of her, "Not only that, I rescued them once before that and suddenly I'm still the one at fault? I even went back and saved them all a second time! If they can't take care of themselves then that's not my problem! It's not my responsibility to take care of them, right?" She vented to her new companion, anger running through her as she turned to him with pleading expression, hoping to get some reassurance that she was indeed in the right. To have someone back her up would lift a huge weight off her shoulders, but for now, Maron took a deep breath and recomposed herself. She didn't come this far to play babysitter to-

"Well... you're not wrong." Maron's thoughts were interrupted, "It's not 'your responsibility', as you put it, and moreover, Shade's 'philosophy'," He hissed the word as if it brought a bad taste to him, "Does encourage self-reliance and values individual strength above all else. Even if it means beating your head against a wall until you drop dead." He said the last sentence with bit of disgust. Now, he looked more like he'd been bothered, irritated, and pushed a little too much before eventually turning his expression back around to a more welcoming state.

"At least someone understands." Maron said, falling back into the sand, arms spread open, and letting out a reassured sigh of relief. She embraced the cool air and looked up at the dark, pretty sky with renewed sense of calm.

"Would a Huntress do that though?" The young man questioned. Maron opened her mouth to answer, but couldn't find the words to explain nor excuse herself. "You're right, it wasn't your responsibility and you certainly didn't have to go back and help. Especially when that's what Shade's own teachers keep spoon feeding their students. Every day they go on about 'strength' this, 'strength' that. Personally, the more they opt to push that belief the more I start to question their qualifications as Huntsmen; like they've forgotten what it's like to be in a real fight. Sometimes, I wonder if they're even suitable for the job anymore, let alone capable of being teachers for future generations." He pondered to Maron, his brown eyes joining Maron's in looking up at the wide-open sky, "But, I digress. Even as a student, you're still a Huntress. And a good Huntsman... Huntress," He corrected himself, both parties sharing a quick glance toward each other, "Doesn't abandon the innocent in their time of need." He affirmed with a subtle, gentle, smile on his lips. There was that word, like a sharp blade that cut right through Maron. "When out on mission, or just traveling, it's a Huntsman's duty to protect and offer a helping hand when needed. A good Huntsman doesn't abandon a lost child, doesn't abandoned a village harassed by Grimm and bandits. When an someone's injured, buried in the ruins of their home, a good Huntsman does what they can to carry them out to safety." Maron looked at him with a strong but no-less shocked expression. His attention may have been up at the moon, but whether he realized it or not, his words hit far too close to home for Maron. Those haunting memoires resurfaced from the depths of her memory where she had struggled to bury them. First came the crackling of fire and its choking smoke, then was the crunching of wood, the snapping of- Before her mind went on anymore, Maron quickly shook her head to free herself from those dangerous thoughts. She felt a little uncomfortably warm now, her breath, a little more ragged. She needed to suppress and forget. Suppress and forget... Steadying her rapid breath and beating heart, she opened her eyes and ears up just in time to hear her new companion finish off whatever story he was telling, "I'll never forget that day. Shame plenty of Huntsmen are choosing their pockets over most else nowadays. I mean, the money's good, sure, but some things are just non-negotiable, and I still believe in those old tales. You?"

"Yeah." Maron faked an answer. She sat up and curled her knees up to her chest again, wrapping her arms tightly around them as she did her best to sooth herself.

Both of them sat quietly, enjoying the other's company for a little while longer on this cool night. Maron thought back on the other girls on her team, taking in what she'd been told. She felt a little bad about not wanting to waver on her decision back during her initiation, but thinking back, would she have been responsible for Trya's death if she had it her way? That was a thought she couldn't stomach, especially since she did have the strength to rescue her. Hell, she literally proved that fact already. Now she was just confused, torn, unsure of what to do with herself. How do the others see her? Maybe she should go back and apologize to the Faunus girl specifically. Toma on the other hand... Maron couldn't help but chuckle a little at the thought of the other girl. Going to her to apologize would be more painful to Maron's pride than anything else. Maybe they could meet halfway. Shae was also seemed to be a bit of a neutral third party, and Trya... well she should probably get to know her better first. Maron smiled to herself. Perhaps they weren't so bad. Still, if the others didn't want to accept her afterwards, that'd be ok; She'd understand.

Suddenly, her companion grabbed his weapon, picked himself up off the ground, and started toward the way Maron had previously entered. The girl stopped him, "Wait!" She called out; half taken by surprise with her own volume. A side effect of getting used to her surroundings no doubt, but even so, it was a little relieving to confide in someone else, even if it was just a complete stranger, err, classmate. Doing so felt... nice. "I mean-" She said in a quick succession, "Where're you headed?"

"Ah, Team Lead wants a little get together is all." The young Huntsman explained, resuming his departure, "So, see ya' around."

Maron opened her mouth to speak again, but couldn't find the right words. Before she could ask more about him, he was gone. For a good minute or two, she sat in silence. Once she realized she forgot to ask his name or where she'd even see him around, Maron quietly cursed herself for forgetting such basic introductions, but there was nothing she could do about it now. With the sandy floor now empty save for her, Maron grabbed her things, rose to her feet, and started back to her dorm room. This was not the night out she had been expecting, but it did bring her something to calm her troubles.

After walking back to her dorm, through the empty halls of Shade, Maron stood outside her menacing door, too anxious to grab the handle. She grabbed her nervous hand and took a calming breath. 'It was her room anyways, so what did she care?' Maron told herself, but the more accurate question was: 'Why did she care'? With mustered strength, she gently pushed the door open, careful not to make any more unnecessary noise. She followed those same steps in reverse, shutting the door behind her quietly before finding the other three girls sleeping side by side on their own separate futons with an empty space a little in front of the door, between the closet and a sleeping Toma. She gently set down her belongings, took her turn in the now free shower, and after that she cautiously continued her sneaking, afraid to wake the others. Once she felt she was finally in the clear, Maron grabbed the last roll out of the closet, deftly unrolled it with as little noise as she could make, and welcomed herself to sleep for however many hours were left until sunrise. However, Maron couldn't seem to find herself a comfortable position. Her restless heart and mind seemed to work in unison to keep her awake. She secretly knew why, but was reluctant to accept it. All she could do now was hope that Toma was asleep like the others so that she could make the excuse to avoid-

"Hey... Maron..." Came a whisper that made startled Maron who froze in fright, now too stiff to turn to face her fellow team member. Maron was still on her left side, facing the wall and hoping she could feign being asleep. Nevertheless, Toma continued in a hushed tone, "I'm uh... Sorry 'bout lashing out at you earlier. I mean- I won't lie, I'm still a bit upset, but... you had your own reasons and goals... aaand you came back in the end. So, thanks, I guess." Toma finished in a rushed breath. She let out a sigh before starting to talk to herself, "You're probably just asleep. Still needed to get that off my chest. Maybe in the morning..."

Oh, now she just wasn't playing fair! However, now was Maron's chance as well, "No. The fault is on me." Maron admitted. Toma though let out a slight gasp of a fright. Guess they were even on that part. Going with her own momentum, Maron continued, "I should have chosen you all instead of some trinket." Thinking back, things could have ended a lot worse than they did. That upper classmate's wisdom came back to her again, "I... almost got someone got someone killed for it." She spoke. This was the second time Maron thought about this, but every situation and excuse she tried to defend herself with shattered, leaving her with no other option than to accept her fault. She had the strength to help, and though she could reassure herself that she did rescue them, Maron felt sick just thinking about what would have happened had she not gone back. A family wouldn't have a daughter coming back home, friends wouldn't be able to see her again, and even if they blamed the Grimm, deep down it would have been Maron who would bare that heavy guilt of refusing to save her. That upper classmate's words of wisdom echoed in her head and, with them, Maron spoke the advice he gave her, "That's not what a Huntress would do."

"Wow, uh..." Toma paused, unable to find an adequate response, "I don't know what to say. You said you went out for a stroll?"

Maron turned to her back, both girls now facing the ceiling, "Well, I met someone who helped a little." She replied, giving the ceiling a small smile and a content look.

"Oh? Do tell." Toma prodded with a smirk, rolling back over to face Maron.

"Maybe some other time." Maron yawned, laying on her right to face Toma, "Right now, I just want this night to end."

"Makes two of us..." Toma whispered, rolling back over to her back and shutting her eyes.

Maron gave a soft smile, happy to have finally found peace by the end of this night instead of stressing over herself and her team. However, her eyes were getting heavier by the second and after letting them keep shut for a few minutes Maron was finally able to drift off to a comfortable sleep.

A. Note:

As always, enjoy!

~Firetoast312