MTST – Shade's New Blood – Chapter #05
With the sun at its peak, Maron eyed the ash-haired woman in front of her who started walking over to the fallen King Taijitu. Her first instinct was to get up and prepare herself for yet another fight for her life, but her legs gave up on her. The swarm she had just faced had left her exhausted and, since the others were down too, she knew she couldn't do anything on her own even if luck was on her side. However, Maron had a feeling it wasn't. Regardless, she wondered why the woman was here again. Where had Blizz and Tania gone? Where was Shae? Even if her mind wondered about the others, Maron kept her eyes set on the woman for fear of her trying something or to kick them while they were down.
"So, they can teach you to swing a stick around, but not finished the job?" The woman mocked in an even, serious tone. She plucked Shae's shortsword from the Grimm's scaley hide with a bit of force in her pull and a foot planted against the monster for extra leverage. Barely a second later and the woman walked up and stabbed the Grimm's healthy eye, bringing out a wheezed hiss from the creature as it struggled against this new foe. However, no matter how much it weakly struggled, the serpent could not escape its fate with the miniscule amount of strength it had left. Its faint movements had finally ceased after the blade in its eye was forced deeper into its crimson orb. "Well?" The woman looked over her shoulder to Maron, giving the girl a stern look, which expected an answer.
"I'm not here to be lectured by you!" Maron spat, angrily squeezing her fingers around her staff as she slowly caught her breath.
"Of course not." The woman said dismissively as she approached Maron with Shae's weapon still in hand, "You're here because—whether you realize it or not—Shade has deemed your team to be in… 'poor standing'." She said to Maron, "and so, you sought aid."
"Actually," Piped up Toma who was still resting close by, "We were kinda' coerced into coming along." She answered from the ground with an arm over her eyes to shield them from the blinding light of the sun.
"Hmm. You seem remarkably composed compared to your friend here." The woman noted.
"Well, if you planned to rob us—which I doubt—we're more or less broke." Toma half-jested as she took a peek at the woman to confirm her suspicion of who it was that had joined them. "Plus, if you wanted to kill us, you'd have done it the first time." She finished before laying her head back down with a curse under her breath before muttering, "I'm too tired for this."
"How astute." The woman complimented, Toma having piqued her curiosity.
The silence lingered on for another second or two before being crudely interrupted by a distant Blizz who yelled out a name, "Flaye! Flaaaye!" She said in the distance, catching the attention of Maron and the woman. The white-haired Huntress jogged as quick as she could, looking a bit out of breath with a limp Shae over her shoulders. Once she had rejoined the group, Blizz dropped Shae to the ground a little too quickly to have been comfortable, "Wait! Flaye, listen," She said between pants, "I know how this looks, but—but I can explain." Blizz finished, holding up two open hands with a bit of worry in her voice.
Meanwhile, dropped to both knees beside Shae, checking if she was alright. The other girl groaned in pain, her head slowly shaking side-to-side as she came to, "Ugh, my whole body is killing me…" She let out, finding even her fingers being a bit too heavy to move without some effort. "The others?" She opened one sapphire-blue eye to Maron.
"They're fine," Maron answered, "But we have other issues…" She looked up to the two arguing women.
"I told you—especially you—not to interfere on your own initiative." The ash-haired woman, 'Flaye', raised her voice to a notch just below outright yelling, but she was no less furious. Maron beheld a strange sight, a little rewarding and a little amusing: a big and proud Blizz suddenly being the one backpedaling as Flaye got in her face. Maron wasn't sure if she should be laughing at Blizz's misfortune or be more afraid of the authority Flaye had over her. "And what do you do? You," She prodded Blizz's chest with a finger, "Send them out to fight Grimm alone; And, without supervision." Flaye angrily stated with a light push.
"Hey!" Blizz put a hand to her chest defensively, "They had Tania watching them!" She countered, trying to defend her actions.
"I mean real supervision." Flaye returned, "And in case you haven't caught on, she was the one who told me everything on her way back into the city."
"Why that backstabbing…" Blizz balled her hands into fists, looking back in the direction of the walled, desert city, "Well… they just needed a little nudge, so, I thought I'd let them come out and earn some much-needed experience. I mean, we had help too so don't even."
"We had someone with both experience and wisdom." Flaye retorted, visibly holding back the welling anger within her as best she could.
"That's my point! I doubted they'd make it past mid-terms at this rate which is why I think we should actually be doing something instead of sitting on the side, but ooo, Flaye says to sit back and 'see if they'll make it' or mysterious b-." Blizz mocked, standing up to the other woman with frustration of her own seeping into her words
"You almost got them killed, Blizz!" Flaye snapped, exploding at Blizz and startling both her and even Maron who was still listening in. "I wanted to watch their progress to make sure something like this," she gestured to the field of dead Grimm and the girls who had barely pushed survived the ordeal, "But fine, I'll 'move up the schedule'! I'll pick up after your mess, again. So, if you're done, if you have nothing left to add to this, then go home!" She exclaimed, pointing toward Vacuo.
Flaye had to take a moment to recompose herself while silence filled the air. Blizz shrunk a little with her head and shoulder slightly lowered as the weight of Flaye's words started to sink in. "But I—" Blizz started, only to be cut off again.
"I'm not in the mood to fight, Blizz," Flaye said, following a sigh, "Go home." She repeated, "I'll speak to you later." With that, the white-haired Huntress's face turned sour, but she complied and turned around without another word, sulking and grumbling as she headed back toward the city. Now, only Team Amethyst and Flaye remained.
"Sheesh." Toma chimed in again from beside them, now being sat upright but still a bit tired. She pulled her arms behind her head, stretching them one at a time to relax her sore limbs as Flaye turned back to them.
"Girls, wake up!" The woman called, causing the last two still resting girls to stir awake. Shae was the first, struggling to push herself up before immediately falling and being caught by Maron. Now say back down, Shae rested her head against Maron's chest who sat back with her. Maron would let it slide, if only for the small concern she had for Shae's health. However, Trya was a different matter. The Faunus had the spare strength, but also appeared with a little wet streak running from one of her light-blue eyes. "Is," Flaye paused, "Something the matter?" She asked the younger girl.
"I—I'm sorry," She stuttered, "I just… I was just remembering something…" She excused herself. Trya's wolf ears were flattened, giving away her sorrowful mood, but she wiped away the single tear from her cheek and did her best to put on a strong face.
"Very well." Flaye said, accepting Trya's answer and moving on, "In case any of you have not caught it yet, I am Flaye, and yes, we've met before out during your initiation." She introduced herself, "Now, I am sure you have a few questions—"
"Lots of them." Maron growled, narrowing her eyes while receiving a similar glance, from Flaye, pointed her way after her interruption.
"So, we'll start with a few of them for now." The woman finished.
Maron opened her mouth to speak first, but Toma beat her to it, "Alright, so, I'm not exactly at one-hundred percent right now, so what'd you say you want from us again?" She asked, rubbing the sides of her head to alleviate a tiny head-rush and to wake herself up more.
"I'm here—or rather I was here—to watch over you four and make sure your learning goes smoothly before then making some… 'adjustments'." She answered.
"And you wouldn't have done that from the beginning?" Toma questioned, a little annoyed.
"You wouldn't have made it, but since someone doesn't have the patience, I guess we'll have to adapt." Flaye said with a frustrated sigh afterwards.
"Ok, but why?"
"Hold that thought." She held up a hand had to stop her, "You get only a few more quick questions," She started, "Because I'm not going to stand out here in this blistering heat any longer than I have to. So, make them count."
"Aye, I'll second that." Toma agreed, laying back down with Trya watching before raising her hand overhead to shield her face from the powerful sun again.
"Alright," Maron started, turning her sights back on Flaye, "So, why?" She demanded to know, "Why are you after us? Why are you here?"
"'Why'?" Flaye began, "I'm here because of you." She shifted herself toward Maron.
The other girls looked to Maron. They were confused, curious, and weren't sure what the woman standing before them was implying. But Maron still kept her eyes fixed on Flaye. "Maron?" Toma called the girl who gripped her staff a little tighter with eyes growing full of hate and caution.
"During initiation, I scoured through as many initiates as I could, looking for someone, anyone, any team, that could be taken under our wing." Flaye began, patrolling back and forth as she scanned the sandy battlefield around them, "I wanted to show and teach them about the world outside of academics, a world the academies either refuse to acknowledge or have simply forgotten about or neglected."
"Well, our training is going just fine." Maron replied, "So whatever you're offering, we're not interested. Shade will teach us more than enough to get by."
"If that's what you believe, then go ahead, be content with the participation award of the world." Flaye slighted, waving Maron away with disinterest, "That's all Vacuo and Shade has ever been known for, especially nowadays. It's a weakened kingdom clinging to old, misguided ideals, putting up a façade while its wounds fester and the other kingdoms leech from it. It is truly a wonder how it's last so long, though I suppose the desert really isn't worth the trouble, but I digress." She went on before returning to answer the previous question, "I was going to write your team off as another failure after watching this one," She gestured her head to Maron, "Abandoned the rest of you. And not just because of your failed initiation." She said in a pitiful manner.
"Get to the point!" A ticked Maron demanded, her nerves being tested as the woman kept dancing around her question.
"However, you Maron, made a decision that changed my initial assessment about you. You could have gotten into Shade all by yourself—assuming I didn't stop you. The golden trinket you sought was right in front of you. All you had to do was just take one more step closer and if could have been yours, you could have had it, but instead you chose to go back to the others." Flaye recounted.
"Aw, how sweet." Toma chuckled as she teased the other girl.
"Shut up, Toma!" Maron shot back with a little pink on her cheeks.
"All the other initiates?" Flaye continued, "They were more than happy to betray one another, to steal, to fight, to be one step closer to being a Huntsman. And many more took Shade's crooked ideals to heart, going so far as to be willing to die trying to fight me, all just to put their hands on a little golden trinket."
"Y-You didn't actually…" Toma started from the side as she shivered at the thought.
"Aw, how sweet." Toma chuckled as she teased the girl.
"Shut up, Toma!" A flustered Maron shot back with a little red on her cheeks.
"What? No!" Flaye was quick to deny, "What I mean was that they were willing to try and fight me until they physically had nothing left to give. No strength, I mean. Barely even had the strength to stand after their pitiful attempts."
"Well, what about Shae and I? We went back and helped Trya when she was in trouble." Toma sat up again and reminded with the Faunus giving a small nod to back up Toma's claim.
"Indeed, you did. Which is what convinced me to give Maron a second chance even if, at the time, I believed it to be pointless." Flaye answered, "But oh how both thrilled and proud I was to see her make her final, fateful decision." She finished as a proud, closed-lipped smile formed on her lips.
Maron grit her teeth, growing more aggravated as the seconds passed, "So you attack us? Then stalk us after?" She questioned.
"Flaye pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a sigh, "Because, I needed to know what I was working with. The first time we fought, it was a measure of your strength and a test for all of you. And you did wonderfully in working together—for having known each other for less than a day. After that, it was a matter of waiting until you were strong enough; when you were ready. That brings us to where we are now." She crossed her arms, "Now, I'm not answering any more questions. It's hot, and none of us want to continue to sit around out here, so I'll get right to it: I'm offering to help you along, to train you and prepare you for the future. You will be much more formidable than your fellow classmates, and no, things will not end up like the mess it was today." She said before giving one last warning, "Keep in mind, if you do accept, it will be much more difficult and things will not be treated the same as Shade. Your team here is final, no shifting partners like Shade allows, it will be exclusively your team. I also expect your full cooperation and attention just as you would with a normal class, so, what do you say?"
"Oh, come on! Do you really think that—" Maron started to say before Toma spoke over her.
"What about weapons?" She asked, "If I'm going to make a weapon of my own, then I need more variety to test." Toma informed, "I'm going to want something else out of this after all."
"You can't be serious." Maron said to the other girl in disbelief.
"Maron, I have things I want to do and achieve, and if this is the price to pay, then so be it. It's not all that bad of a deal, really." She replied, looking over to Flaye to ask another question, "This isn't gonna' hurt, is it?"
"I'd say to think of it like 'extra credit', except I am genuine when I say I care about you four growing stronger and I'm not doing this for a paycheck."
"Wait, so could we have asked one of Shade's professors to help us instead?"
"Oh, as teachers I'm sure they'd love to put the extra effort in to help you, but as Shade's teachers they'd hate seeing you fail. And not in the 'you can do better' kind of hate. Believe me, my own team and I have crossed that road before." Flaye told them.
After that, there was a silence among the four girls, all but one of them weighing their options. "Sooo, about those weapons…" Toma brought up again.
"I'd much prefer you have a primary, but I believe I can make something work given your circumstances." Flaye answered as Shae started to stir again.
"I-I'll go with her!" Trya blurter out, earning a kind smile from Toma who threw her arm around the girl's shoulder.
"Trya, you too?" Maron questioned, taken aback by the Faunus's sudden outburst. She had figured the timid girl would keep to herself instead, preferring the calm life and avoiding such wild situations such as this one. That's what Maron had expected, but perhaps she simply didn't know the other girl as well as she thought…
"Weapon…" Shae let out, "I need… my weapon."
"Only if you can reach for it yourself." Flaye said, presenting the girl's shortsword far out of reach from where Shae and Maron were sat. Shae started to move, using what little strength she had recovered to push herself up. But Maron's fingers, perhaps on reflex, did their best to cling to the raven-haired girl's shoulders. Unfortunately, whether it was intentional or not, Shae broke free from Maron's grasp, forcing herself to finally stand once more. She stumbled and struggled with every step, almost tripping over herself again and again, but inching ever closer toward her goal. It took a few painful seconds, but she had managed to bring herself before Flaye, snatching her sword back from the woman's hand. Only then, did Shae allow herself to collapse to her knees. "It will be a much tougher journey for you than it will the rest." Flaye said to the girl below her, "Are you certain you want to move forward with this?"
"I have to." Shae weakly replied, to which the woman only nodded.
"How about it, Maron? Are you—"
"No!" She exclaimed, catching the others off guard, "Don't you get it? She's just playing you all! Some stranger just comes around and attacks us, follows us around, and suddenly we are supposed to act like this is some 'great opportunity' for us? We don't know who you are," Maron pointed at Flaye, "Nor do we know what she really has planned." She finished with a look toward the rest of her team.
"I can assure you that I—" Flaye attempted to calm the girl down.
"You don't get a say in this!" Maron spat, "The only real problem we've had so far was you." She pointed again to Flaye, "Everything else, every lesson, every fight, every little bump in the road was done by us, and us alone, starting with that first Grimm back during initiation. You didn't bother to care then. We didn't need your help then. And we certainly don't need your 'help' now."
Maron got up and started stomping back, prompting Toma to get up and jog up and grab her shoulder, "Hey, Maron," She started with a calming tone, "I know this is… very strange but—"
"'But' what?" Maron eyed Toma who flinched back a little.
"Ok, look, just- Just stick around for a bit, for us?" Toma held up and squeezed Maron's hand, pleading with her. "Come on, things have been rough, yes, but we trusted Blizz even if things turned out… like this."
"We were forced into this by her might I remind you."
Toma let out an exasperated sigh, "Maron, listen, I took the initiation because I wanted to learn all about Huntsmen and, specifically, their weapons. Helping people? Saving them from monsters and bandits and the like? That's just a cherry on top for me, but even I know that I'm not strong enough to take on big challenges. We barely managed a single King Taijitu, could you imagine what'll happen to us when we have to face stronger Grimm?" She questioned, "Like I said, it's something I want to do and, so far, this is looking like my best option, but I can accept that. So, come on Maron, stick around a little longer?" She asked with a forced smile.
Maron tried to give it some thought for a moment, but her mind was already made up. She had something she wanted too, but she wasn't going to get it by blindly following whatever plan Flaye had in mind. "Not this time," Maron pulled her hand free, "You do what you have to Toma, but so will I." She started walking back to Vacuo again, "I'll see you back at the dorm, probably."
Toma tried to go for Maron again, but was stop by Flaye who blocked her with an arm. "Leave her," Flaye told her, "There's no helping someone that doesn't want to be helped." All the while, Maron continued on without even a glance back.
"But—"
"Understand that it is her decision not ours." Flaye cut the girl off, "For now, I assume you three want to rest and take a break. It is around noon," She shielded her eyes as she tried to guess where the sun was, "and I know Blizz dragged you all out here, so allow me to make up for her troubling you with something refreshing. Think of it as a token of apology on behalf of my dear companion, it's the least I could do considering the day you've had so far."
"And Maron?"
"I believe she doesn't wish to be bothered right now." Flaye answered, "Up then, girls, let's go."
- - o - -
Grumbling and kicking up a bit of dust, Maron wandered the busy streets of Vacuo in search of something or some place to sooth her nerves. She had no desire to go back to Shade right now, partially fearing running back into the others and preferring nothing more than to be left alone again. Plus, she couldn't wrap her head around this whole situation her team had been swept up in. To think they'd trust literal strangers over their own common sense! It was maddening. She had tried to convince them otherwise but fine, they could do what they want, she'd just have to get by on her own terms.
Letting out an exhausted breath, Maron continued her aimless wander through the city. The oppressive sun was only a little way past its peak and, by now, Maron was starting to feel the heat take its toll on her. By chance, she had stumbled upon one of Vacuo's many precious parks; reminders of the tropical environment the kingdom both once had, revered, and always kept bringing up. It sometimes annoyed her, constantly being reminded as if was someone trying to brag about their achievements during their youth, only to fall into obscurity later in life.
Finding a place free of park-goers was difficult, but, eventually, Maron managed to snag a seat on a simple, empty bench under a large palm tree which cast a wide, protective shadow over Maron that shielded her from the worst the sun had to offer. Sadly, it didn't help with the humid air that had rolled in today.
Maron gave a relieved sigh as she slouched back a little into the bench's backrest. She allowed herself to relax a little while her eyes kept guard for both herself and for her staff which now rested between her legs. She counted herself lucky to even find a place to sit at this time of day. The parks in the city were the only green for miles around Vacuo and they were a popular destination for citizens to hang around and enjoy. That wasn't saying much though, most of, if not then anything, was more appealing to the eyes than the dry, dusty sand. Vacuo's north did have some greenery to it from what she remembered, but it was infested with swarms of all kinds of Grimm which made it next to impossible to inhabit from what she's read about it.
Was there anything she could think of to take her mind off her issues? Herself? Enjoying school life? Now that she mentioned it, didn't Blizz mention something about mid-terms? Bah! She said she needed to think of something else! But just in case, she could probably get some insight on it, maybe those tests wouldn't involve too much paperwork…
"Why is living here so miserable?" Maron rested her eyes and muttered to herself. She would tell herself to get hobby, but it was Vacuo…
"Tell me about it." Came a kind voice of a young woman which startled Maron. She looked to meet a pretty-faced woman, dressed in a short, aqua-green top and a knee-length, one-sided skirt of the same color, and with a thin belt around her hip carrying a few pouches. The woman appeared to be no more than her mid-twenties or younger with raven-black hair tied in a high ponytail and a small smile on her lips as she started her friendly conversation, "Hot climate, constant danger outside the city, even the other kingdoms just take what they need and leave—It's really a wonder why people still live here."
"Can I… help you?" Maron asked, her exhausted and annoyed emotions almost getting the better of her.
"Oh, my bad." The woman apologized from her half of the bench, sitting up strait and placing her hands in her lap as she did, "You just looked like you're in a bit of a rough patch."
"Who isn't, these days?" Maron waved the woman off, hoping that would be the end of it.
Unfortunately for Maron, the new woman chuckled and continued on with their conversation, "And that's the life of a Huntress I can assume." She leaned back again.
"A-Actually I'm a student." Maron corrected with a light stutter.
"Ah, finally setting foot in the wider world then, huh?"
"I guess." Maron answered, doing her best to remain polite. For a moment, there was a lull in conversation. Both Maron and the woman did their best to relax as the people walked by, each with their own destination in mind. Hmm, for a second there, Maron felt at ease. She had found herself taking in the peaceful surroundings instead of rattling her mind with 'what-if's' and other worries that plagued her thoughts. Maybe a little distraction is what she needed.
"So, what made you enroll to be a Huntress? If you don't mind me asking of course." The woman asked, though Maron really wished she hadn't.
"Forcing her hand, the only option now was to play along, "I was told to." Maron answered vaguely.
"Well, that doesn't seem right." The woman raised an eyebrow and looked to Maron with curiosity, "Shouldn't you have joined because you wanted to?"
"It's… a little complicated." Maron answered, hoping the woman would take the hint.
"I see." The woman dropped her smile, "So that's what's pushing you to be a Huntress."
With an internal scream of frustration, Maron maintained her calm demeanor, but with a new frown as a few more—and relatively recent—memories came back to her. "Yeah…" She managed to say.
"Well, then keep at it!" The woman cheered on a surprised Maron, "I'd almost envy you. Having the time of your life at the academy, learning to fight monsters, going out on adventures, just being a Huntress. I'm sure it'd sounds like a dream to some." She said, clapping her hands together and giving warm smile.
"Well, I'm not so sure about all that." Maron replied.
"Mmm, it's certainly more 'heroic' than what I have to do." The woman gave a friendly chuckle.
"Then why don't you try to enroll?" Maron half-heartedly suggested, eagerly wanting this conversation to end.
"Me? Nah, I've already seen my fair share of what the world has to offer and I'd rather stick close to my sister and our little business."
"Oh, really?" Maron feigned interest.
"Yeah. Exhausting work, but so long as she's safe and smiling then I'm willing to put up with whatever comes out way!" The woman cheerfully said.
Her upbeat mood was starting to grind on Maron's nerves. She'd love nothing more than to sit here in silence, if at all possible, but that dream started to grow more distant as the minutes passed. However, her subconscious had already taken the bait when the young woman mentioned her sister. Unfortunately for Maron, she could not stop the worlds already coming out of her mouth, "At least you have someone to go home to." She grumbled in irritation.
"Oh, my sincere apologies." The woman began, "I've… gone through something similar as well, so you have my sympathy." She said with a reassuring smile. "Recent?" She asked Maron, doing her best to sound comforting to the wounded girl before her.
"'A little complicated'." Maron repeated herself, gripping her staff tighter to aid in maintaining her steadfast appearance.
"Isn't everything…" The woman said somberly as she trailed off. "I'm Viri, by the way." She tried to lift the mood by introducing herself, "I know we just met, but… feel free to talk. Girls like us rarely have any other choice but to stick together." She said to Maron, who introduced herself as well before Viri continued, "But, judging by how you look now, I have a good feeling that you've been forced out on your on for one reason or another, that or it's the academy wearing you down. So, which is it? School pressure? Having a rough patch with friends? Maybe… a little quarrel with a partner?" She guessed, trying to stifle a humorous grin with the last suggestion.
"What? No! No." Maron was quick to answer, frantically shaking her head and raising her hands to deny the suggestion.
"That's the spirit." Viri gave an amused chuckle, "If there's one thing I've learned, it's that any feeling is better than defection." She told the girl, hoping Maron's spirits were a bit lifted or at least distracted from whatever stress was on her mind.
Maron sighed, "Well…" She twiddled her thumbs over her staff, "It's my team, but it's a bit personal…"
"What, afraid of being left behind?"
"That's… somewhat accurate." Maron admitted, "How did…" She started to question before stopping herself from going any further.
"I'm good at reading people." Viri bragged, crossing one leg over the other as she leaned back and held her chin up with a bit of pride, "Besides, as you are, you aren't too hard to figure out." She began to explain, "You have a weapon, you're young, and, despite the academies being pretty well known for their student teams, you're out here all alone instead of with them. So, either something drove a wedge between you and your friends or you just don't like them to begin with." She finished, "And from what you've given me so far, I'm willing to bet it's more toward the former."
Maron let out another sigh now that she was caught. Well, might as well give in. "My team decided to take a few 'extra lessons'—we'll call them—from some woman that's been watching us over the last month. But apparently, I'm the only one with enough commonsense to see it as suspicious and say 'no'!" She vented, parts of her anger seeping through toward the end.
"I suppose that is a bit strange." Viri agreed.
"I know, right?" Maron exclaimed. She then took a deep breath and sank back into her seat, "You'd think we'd be making a group decision about it instead."
"Sounds tiresome, could be worse though."
"'Worse' how?"
"Well, in my case, you could have to travel around dangerous roads, weary of Grimm attacks without much help, or having to deal with some entitled and sometimes aggressive patrons, and also trying to meet deadlines and such."
"What… exactly do you do?" Maron asked, curious as to what kind of profession this woman had to deal with such hardships.
"Oh, it's nothing special!" Viri started, "Just a little business my sister, a couple other girls, and I started some years ago. Performance arts and such."
"Well, in my case, you could have to travel around dangerous roads, being weary of Grimm attacks without help, or having to deal with entitled or aggressive patrons, and also trying to meet deadlines and the such."
"Sounds lovely…" Maron said sarcastically as she rested cheek in her hand which in turn was propped up by an armrest.
"Eh, it has its ups and downs." Viri claimed, "But out little group had stuck together since we first met over in Mantle." She said, then letting out a content sigh, "So long as we're together, I believe we can overcome anything in our way."
"So, same thing as you sister?"
"Exactly." Viri smiled, snapping her fingers with a finishing point toward Maron. "But back to you, you could've just strayed with your friends." She changed subjects, "You're studying to be stronger, no?"
"I didn't stay because I don't trust the 'instructor'." Maron answered.
"Ah, a currency more valuable than all the Dust in the world." Viri commented, "But what of your friends? It'd make sense to stick by them and protect them."
"Well, they aren't exactly friends—I think—just teammates." Maron corrected with the smallest hint of doubt in her voice, "Just… teammates…" She paused, "Plus, we didn't exactly have the luxury of choosing each other, we just got kind of… roped in together."
"And that's why you should treasure them even more." Viri told Maron as she let herself relax again. Maron had looked over and saw Viri mindlessly staring up at the cloudless blue sky above with a content smile and a soft gaze. Maron almost envied whatever wonderful memories were going on in the woman's head. "Maybe it's just because of where we grew up, by my girls—sister included—and I didn't exactly choose each other either. Our… 'situation'… pushed us together and, in a rough part of Mantle, the only chance we had was sticking together to survive. We all shared a common goal and, in achieving that, we forged an unbreakable bond." Viri explained, her soft dull-green gaze still fixed on the sky above her.
There was another quiet moment between the two. Maron couldn't help but wonder what the others were up to right now, if they were having the time of their lives learning new skills and the like from Flaye or regretting their decision. There was a small trace of curiosity making her think that, maybe, she should have given it a shot. But of course, she knew better. She had no reason nor want to blindly trust someone like Flaye since their first encounter, and she wasn't about to let that woman live it down either! For now, at least… Maron took a deep breath.
"Still, I'm willing to bet that your friends would miss you and would hate to leave you behind." Viri piped up again.
"'Leave me behind'?" Maron echoed, taken aback by the very suggestion.
"It is an academy, so, I just figured students had to pass and other fail like normal schools, right?" Viri brought up a good point, "And if they're out learning to be better while you're sitting here, then, well…
Maron looked at Viri with a dumbfounded expression. Why had that not crossed her mind? Now, Blizz mentioning 'mid-terms' started to look more like a reality. "Aw, hell." Maron cursed herself. Whatever challenges Shade had to offer, Maron needed to be ready to both meet and surpass them if she wanted to get anywhere! However, she needed a new plan. She couldn't stomach the idea of going back to the others and then accepting Flaye's little training program or whatever even if they would accept her. "You don't think they'll actually just 'move on' will they?" Maron asked the older girl.
"I don't think they'll really have a choice unless you can keep up with them. And you'd know them better than me." Viri replied, "Buuut, 'friendships are forged with problems and time' as they say."
"Who says that?"
"Me!" Viri laughed, "But seriously, shared experiences can help bring you and your friends together." She said, "If staying with them is what's getting you all worked up and worried, then give it your all, study and train to earn your place alongside them! No need to sulk here. 'Keep reaching for the stars', I always tell my sister, 'You have to do whatever it takes to reach that goal'!" She finished.
"Heh, sounds cheesy." Maron said with a light smile.
"Maybe, but it's something I've had to learn while growing up." Viri told the younger girl, "Maybe you have or will too. So, Maron, what're you gonna' do?" She rhetorically questioned the blonde.
Maron thought about that, wondering what exactly she was going to do to keep up with the others should they actually grow strong enough to leave her behind with Flaye's teachings. Her first thought was to ask the professors for help, but if what Flaye said was true, then it'd probably be best to not shoot herself in the foot and avoid them if at all possible. No, what she needed was someone with enough experience to help her along, but who was not affiliated with the school's staff. And she wasn't too keen on the idea of going up to a professional Huntsman and asking them herself, especially after her own little tangent about 'trusting strangers' back out in the desert. Unfortunately, her already small circle of people she knew was about used up. In fact, the only other person she could think of was—Oh you have got to be joking… "Well, I think I have an idea." Maron said as she got up, faking a new sense of confidence, "It was nice meeting you." She said to Viri with a forced smile, "I guess I really did just need someone to talk to, or a second opinion I guess."
"Well, I'm honored to have given a helping hand." Viri replied, "And hey, again, I know we just met, but if you ever want to talk again, the girls and I will usually be hanging around the west side of the city, entertainment district, during the evenings. So, come on by and say 'hi'! I'll try to keep an extra eye out for you."
"Thanks, but maybe some other day." Maron declined, "But I've got someone I need to meet." She was about to turn to join the growing crowd of people when a hand grabbed her wrist. Maron looked back to see it was Viri's.
"One more thing," She started, grabbing something from one of her pockets, "Take this." She said, placing the 'something' in Maron's palm and wrapping her fingers around it, "The girls and I usually keep these to ourselves, both as good-luck charms and as a little symbol of ours, but I think they'll understand me giving you one."
"Oh, uh, thank you." Maron said before telling Viri that she had to leave. Maron, a bit annoyed by her own idea, parted ways with the other girl, waving goodbye as she then joined the crowd. But unlike the people around her, Maron's destination was back to Shade Academy. After a bit of distance, she unraveled her fingers, finding a small, five-pointed star made of bronze and cleaned to a shine, fitting snuggly in the center of her palm. She thought it an odd choice to pick for a gift, but she'd keep it. Maron looked back again to the same bench she had left just seconds ago, but now, it was sat empty and alone.
- - o - -
Within Shade's empty practice arena, blades clashed under a vibrant orange sky as Shae blocked each of Flaye's light strikes. "You're too focused on your defense, you need to deflect and counter at some point." Flaye told the girl. Shae adjusted, seeing immediate results. Flaye's sword was striking from up high, so she put up a block again, this time, as the weapons struck one another, Shae held back enough of her strength to let the woman's sword continue its path, only to guide the weapon to her right side and then push it to the ground, safely away from her. Then, she went for a quick counter by sliding her sword across Flaye's which was conveniently lined straight for her open neck.
"Very good.' Flaye complimented. However, just as she said that, she was quick to reverse her grip on her weapon and pull her blade up to block Shae's counter-attack. Both returned to a status-quo just seconds prior. Flaye swiped at Shae's right leg as she spoke, "Watch your footing." She said as Shae managed to narrowly escape the blade's path. Unfortunately, that made Shae stumble a few steps, precious seconds needed to regain her balance, but those few steps are what Flaye took advantage of. "Your grip's too tight." She said when she blocked an attack from Shae. Shae's shortsword was then hit out of her hand with a powerful strike from Flaye, "Now, too soft." She finished with her blade now being held, its point down, diagonally across Shae's body to show where she would be hit, but was also a short, but safe, distance away to actually avoid any real injuries. Shae held and shook her wrist as Flaye let out a quick, small sigh, "That'll do for today." She sheathed her ninjato, "At least I know you all have some ground to stand on."
"Couldn't you have taken note of that when we fought the Grimm this morning?" Toma questioned from the side—with Trya sitting next to her—as she continued to practice on her own. This time, she was armed with a pair of basic, easily replaceable tonfas from Shade's training armory.
"Dealing with Grimm is only a part of the job." Flaye explained, "Because, unfortunately, people will be people, and some people will be problems."
Trya yawned, her light-blue eyes looking drowsy and ready to give in for the day, "People?" She asked, paying just enough attention to show a bit of concern.
"Usually, it's just bandits and the like, anything more serious is… rare around Vacuo."
"Think we should mention that to Maron?" Toma asked the others, "Might convince her to change her mind."
"It's her problem." Shae replied, retrieving her sword, "Not ours. She's on her own."
"Oh, come on, be a little nicer why don'tcha?"
"Look, this is all on her. If she wants to stay out of it, then I don't see why we should even bother." Shae said to Toma, "And so far, she's proven to still be a bit difficult even after initiation."
"Hey now, she's actually quite soft underneath that hard shell of hers!" Toma defended the missing girl.
"Tell you what, next time she is, let me know, I'd love to see it." She put a hand on her hip and said in a sarcastic tone.
"Flaye?" Toma called to the Huntress, looking for some support.
"She's your business, not mine." The woman answered, going through her scroll instead. "Anyways, it's getting late. Grab your things and rest up, you're free to go." She said as the three received a little notification on their scrolls, "Here's my contact to keep in touch and plan for next time, or if you need anything else. Just make sure it's important."
"Really? You've got nothing to say about the matter?" Toma went back to the topic of Maron.
"Would it matter?" She returned before letting out a defeated sigh. She rolled her eye, "I believe she will come around one way or another, but on her own terms. As for you three, I think it's best you respect her choice regardless if she ends up joining or not. You are still a team, don't treat this as her breaking apart from it."
"I sure hope she sees it that way." Toma muttered, "By the way, why do you want to train us?"
'I already told you, the other initiates I deemed failures, and I saw a bit of potential in you four." The woman answered.
"Not that, I mean why do you want to train another team to begin with? What was the plan if we all just said 'no'?"
"Because the Huntsmen and older students can be… 'unreliable'; both here and at the other kingdoms. I needed a team who had the drive and motivation to fight from the start, yet who had minds not yet poisoned by the greater influence the academies have, nor did I want Huntsmen with established experience as it can sometimes make them inflexible."
"'Poisoned'?" Trya Questioned, only to be ignored.
"So, we're just a glorified insurance policy?" Shae looked insulted.
"If you wish to belittle yourself, then perhaps you can view it that way." Flaye answered before turning back to Toma, "And if you had said 'no', then I would have been disappointed, though I'd understand and move on to the next quartet of hopefuls. However, you four would have failed initiation had I not shown up and given you your four golden tickets into Shade. I'd be more concerned with not getting kicked out had you gone your own way. So, me helping you, in turn helps me." She finished explaining. "Believe me, what this academy—what all academies—teach you pales in comparison to what can be learned from those outside the confines of a classroom. That is a lesson I have learned personally…" She said, staring off in the distance for a bit before returning to normal.
Flaye dismissed the girls, thanking them for their open minds, complimenting their willingness to take a chance, and for giving her their spare time despite the unusual circumstance. The three girls of Team Amethyst grabbed their things and made way for the exit, Shae and Trya chatted while they left, but Toma had stayed behind. She had taken the extra time to put away her borrowed weapons as an excuse to get some alone time with the Huntress. Once the other two girls were gone, only Toma and Flaye remained on the arena floor.
The brunette froze after putting up her weapons, glancing over her shoulder to the woman behind her with cautious, narrowed eyes. "You haven't told us everything, have you?" Toma accused, her lips dropping to a frown as her eyes met Flaye's.
"I told you why I needed you and I told you what I wanted." Flaye flatly answered, "Is that not satisfactory enough?"
Toma kept her arms crossed and close to her chest, "I don't mind the extra help, and I appreciate you wanting to train us, but don't think I'm going blindly into this. The others might not notice, but I know a sharp blade when I see one."
"And?" Flaye kept her straight face as the two stared each other down.
"And you are a lot 'sharper'," Toma pointed to the woman before shooting up finger quotes, "Than you let on…
The woman smirked, clearly amused by the younger girl's intuition, "In due time, Toma," She said, "In due time." Flaye returned to her straight-faced expression and drew closer to Toma, "You're a much smarter girl than I'm sure the others even realize, so I'll humor you and tell you this: You have other worries right now, namely this school, and your friends. Anything else is unnecessary at the moment."
Toma only nodded slowly with a begrudging understanding, her eyes still skeptical of the Huntress stood before her. For the sake of not stirring up trouble, she'd keep this little exchange to herself for now. Perhaps Maron did see this or something like this coming, which was why she opted to avoid tagging along. Either way, Toma could do nothing more but accept the woman's answer as truth, and walk away to catch up with the rest of her team.
- - o - -
Late at night when the stars once again reigned over Vacuo, many of Shade's students were fast asleep. However, at the center of Shade's training arena was a lone individual sparring with the imaginary foes that surrounded them.
Maron entered the arena grounds, she had waited for hours for the night to come and finally it was here. She approached the individual, calling out his name with a stern tone in her voice, "Hey, Steele!"
No response.
His face had a look of fucus with wandering eyes more preoccupied with keeping track of his imaginary opponents than his own surroundings. Maron felt a little curious about the lack of response, finding it a little ironic that in spite of training for a fight and to sharpen his senses, Steele had simply stopped paying attention to everything else other than himself.
Taking a look around the empty field of sand, Maron spotted Steele's glaive firmly planted into the ground and it was currently being used as a makeshift coat-rack for his duster. She found herself a little interested in the weapon, picking the coat off of it before grabbing the polearm. The weapon stood a little more than half a foot taller than her to its point as she stood it up next to her. It was quite heavy too, heavier than she was used to in a weapon, though in all fairness, that didn't mean much. What weapon wasn't heavier when compared to her own staff's light weight?
After taking a bit of time to adjust—or rather: to get a feel for the glaive—Maron walked back over to Steele who still had yet to notice her. Maron may have been approaching from behind, but one would think that it'd be important to keep an eye on one's valuables. Whatever occupied his mind must have been important, too important to even keep an eye on his surroundings… Oh well! Let's test that theory.
With the weapon in one hand and the duster in the other, Maron tossed the latter at Steele who had just barely saw it coming out of the corner of his eye and, on reflex, swiped it out of the air with a quick wave of his arm just as if it were another enemy from his imaginary training session. However, it was also what caught his attention and snapped him out of his trance.
A startled Steele jumped in surprise upon being realized that he was being attacked by his own coat, but quickly composed himself once he saw Maron's face, "Maron?" He said in confusion, "Oh, Maron! Sorry, I uh, didn't see you there." He apologized, throwing his duster around him to put it on.
"I noticed." Maron shifted her weight toward the glaive and gave him half a smirk, "You seemed quite into it, so I thought I'd be a good idea not to step in your way."
"Right. Well then." He looked a bit embarrassed, "What brings you out here tonight?" He quickly changed subjects.
Taking in a breath, Maron did her best to present herself with a bit of confidence, "Would you help me with a small favor?"
"Um, sure?" Steele replied, still uncertain of what was going on. He looked down at the shorter girl who looked back up with a small smile.
Maron, now presented with the chance, pounced, "I need you to help me train!" She said, sounding more like a demand than a request.
"I'm," Steele paused, putting up an apologetic look, "Not sure. Not that I wouldn't, but things might get a little busy." He stated.
"Oh relax, the school year just started!" Maron said, still putting on a friendly act. Now her only choice was to try and convince him to change his mind, "Come on." She slowly got closer," The rest of my team is getting ahead," She told him, omitting the part about Flaye, "You're the only one I know with experience with a weapon like mine, and I really don't want to be left behind by them." Maron pleaded with Steele, puffing out her chest a little and making herself appear a little more sincere with her innocent request.
"'Left behind'?" Steele said, "What happened?"
"Oh, it's nothing," Maron lied, "They just seem to get a better hang of this than I do."
Steele tried to avert his gaze, not exactly eager to accept, but he did feel for the girl's and the situation she found herself in.
A tense minute of silence passed which, to Maron, felt agonizing as she waited for her a—hopefully positive—answer. Letting out a deep, troubled sigh and frown, Steele finally spoke, "Alright. Fine." He reluctantly said. With her idea finally bearing fruit, Maron felt a small sense of achievement. Her plan was now set in motion and, caught up in her excitement, she could have given Steele a hug as thanks—If she had any less control of herself. For now, a victorious smile would do.
"Thanks! I promise I'll make it up to you somehow! Maron said.
"Yeah, yeah, don't try so hard." Steele waved off, "Now, what was it you wanted to start with?"
"Well, uh…" Maron gave a now nervous chuckle, "I kind of forgot and left my arrows just outside of Vacuo's walls, sooo…"
Steele did not look amused. He shook his head and muttered to himself, "Why am I like this?" He started toward the exit. Maron's spirits were almost crushed at the sight, believing she had just ruined her chances right then and there. However, he turned back over his shoulder and looked at the girl, "You coming along?" He asked, "Come on, let's get going, I don't exactly know where you were and I'm not about to spend all night hunting those arrows for you." He beckoned for her to join him, to which Marron was quick to accept. Once she caught up, she followed along his side, feeling accomplished in this small step toward her goal and with it came a small hint of joy in her. "So, what were you doing outside of Vauco?" Steele curiously questioned Maron as they started to reach the exit of the arena.
"Well, bit of an odd story…" She began.
A.N.: -
As always, enjoy!
~Firetoast312