Shade's New Blood – Chapter #09
It was late in the day at Shade Academy. The sun had started to set, but had yet to reach the horizon and was still shining down on the desert city that basked in its orange light. Today was an assessment day for Shade's first years, one where students would be examined, judged, then graded based on their performance compared to all their previous assessments since their initiation. The process was long, arduous, and took a hefty chunk of the day to fully complete as each individual student, one-by-one, had to be tested. There weren't too many academic professors to spare which was the cause of such a long wait, and it was also the reason the older students were given the day off; for their own assessment would come at a later date. On the plus side, it also meant those that who finished early were allowed to leave for the rest of the day. Must have been why some of them were so 'eager' to get in line early…
Maron was not so fortunate to score an early position in line and now, with most of the day gone, she had to wait. Even her own team had already finished, then they had gone off to wherever it was to enjoy the rest of their day. Regardless, now it was her turn to be assessed and she had to show just how much she learned since her initiation into Shade. However, she was not doing particularly well in that regard.
Maron drove her fist to the left, striking a holographic target and hearing a small 'ding' before using her momentum to quickly follow up with a spinning back kick toward a lower target, but she narrowly missed it. Undeterred, Maron pulled up her opposite leg for a roundhouse, sweeping at a new target only to entirely miss it as it dodged out of the way. With an annoyed growl from her throat, Maron had no choice but to press on, putting her foot back down as she reverted back to her clenched fists to try and swipe at the circling targets around her as they tried closing the distance. Unfortunately, she did little more than swiped at the air and only occasionally hitting her marks.
As was required, Maron had been put into a small, circular ring which was illuminated on the arena's sandy flooring. In addition, she had been stripped of her weapon which greatly hindered her ability to retaliate. Maron struggled to keep up with the targets, her punches and her kicks started to be outpaced by the speed of the still, holographic silhouettes of various Grimm species. She found herself in a perpetual circle of failure. Every miss, every graze of her target slowly wore down her nerves, bleeding into a pool of frustration within her that in turn led to more mistakes, which again went back to bothering her, then repeat. She could accept herself not being perfect, she wasn't that overconfident, but she was certain that her form and technique were good, and she refused to accept such trivial mistakes. She should be better than this, but simply saying that to herself, that she 'should be', wasn't going to correct those mistakes.
Even after having her semblance assist her, the pure overload of information made tracking all of her targets no less difficult than without it, even if it had given her a slight advantage. It was dizzying seeing paths cross and twist, watching targets circle and approach her only to suddenly slam to an abrupt halt and jerk to the side, which caused her to further miss her strikes. Even more troublesome was her own mind, which had started to wander off in order to give itself a break from her headache-inducing surroundings. Maron pondered whether she should've asked Steele for advice here, it was a shame she didn't ask him for more hand-to-hand lessons sooner. Maybe she'd be doing better than she was now, at least a little. However, another part of her wanted to toss away that thought. A Huntsman like him wouldn't have bother to help, not without expecting something in return, that's all she has seen thus far prior to Shade and, seeing as Flaye wanted to use her team for some unknown purpose, that belief was only further cemented and reinforced. With that woman's schemes, and with the realization that Steele was with her, Maron figured that he too was in on it as well. She kept telling herself that, but… that wouldn't explain the first night they met, nor all the help he'd given her up until now…
Three small buzzes sounded in an alarm, tearing into Maron's thoughts to remind her—or rather inform her now—that her assessment was on a time limit; A time limit that had reached its end. Her trial had concluded and after a brief second of realization, exhaustion had finally caught up to her, forcing her to drop to one knee in the sand with heavy breaths escaping her. Now that it could rest, her body ached with a light sting from the exertion she had put it through, discourage her from pushing it any further. From her kneeling position, she looked up to the professor who had been grading her performance. The dark-haired woman held a large Scroll in hand, typing away at its screen to deactivate the holographic targets whose images dissipated once given the command. From one look on her face, Maron could tell that there was a problem. "Set. It up. Again." Maron demanded between breaths, looking up to the woman with a burning determination still present within her. She'd be damned if she'd let such a disgraceful result be her finale.
"You know I can't do that." The woman denied Maron's request without looking away from her screen.
"But I can do better." Maron pleaded before pushing herself back up to her feet with some effort, having stumbled a step before catching her balance again.
The professor finally looked up from her screen, but gave Maron a look of slight concern, "This assessment isn't about getting a high-score, it's about recording your progress while you train here at Shade." She told the student with a small frown of pity.
"Professor Sunny—"
"Listen, Maron, many names have been crossed out from the records from Grimm alone. Because, out in the field, you will only ever get one chance when fighting them." The professor stated, Scroll clutched to her chest as she raised a finger, "Even when your opponent is a person, they may not give you a second chance, but let's focus on right now." She stated before looking back down to read whatever was on the Scroll, "Your strength and speed have slightly improved—if that's any comfort."
"That doesn't matter if I can't hit the targets." Maron counter argued.
"That's… true." The woman slowly agreed with a slow nod.
"That's why I need to start over." Maron made her case again, hoping the professor would give her another chance. She could see herself being looked over by the woman. Was there a chance?
The professor, thinking to herself for a moment, eased her posture to give off a relaxed and welcoming appearance, "Is… something bothering you?" The professor asked with a polite look. She presented herself with a calm and gentle stance, "I don't mean to pry, but from the looks of it, I can guess that something is distracting you."
"No." Maron denied with furrowed brows, instinctively taking a defensive step backward. She may be her teacher, but Maron wasn't going to trust her with a personal matter. Telling her anything would only bring more trouble that it would be worth. "I just need to take the assessment again is all." She told the professor again who returned with a plain, disappointed frown on her face. Maron's mind had started to wander again, about Flaye and Steele… again. After the Rust Block, Maron found it annoying as it was concerning that the former 'happened' to follow her every move, but the latter, Steele, well… she wasn't sure what to feel. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't grown 'used' to him being around, but seeing that he was in with Flaye, as a Huntsman no less, made her feelings complicated. Although, she knew her thoughts about him right now weren't exactly 'positive'.
"Then I must tell you that you are done here." The professor told Maron bluntly, "Regardless, you've shown to have improved if just a little, so I'd be careful with next semester if I were you. It will be much more difficult already and your classmates are slipping ahead of you." She started, typing away at her Scroll one last time before she called on the next student. She let out an exhausted breath as she gave a last piece of advice to Maron, "I encourage you to keep up with your studies and keep training and I'm sure you'll scrape by." She finished telling Maron who wanted to protest, but was dismissed with a simple wave that told her to make room for the next student.
After that, there was nothing more Maron could say nor do to change the professor's mind, she was sure of that now. So, without another word, she walked over to where her staff and quiver were resting, strapping both to her snuggly before heading toward the exit mostly angry with herself than anything else. By now she heard a new set of targets being successfully hit with consistent accuracy, joining the many others students who filled the air with similar sounds from their own tests. Slowly, Maron shook her head, cursing both herself and the inflexible academy with irritation, but she managed to keep it from getting the better of her.
The moment she stepped outside was the moment her ears picked up the familiar voice of a Huntress she had grown to loathe, one that quickly threw an insult toward Maron, "That was pathetic." Flaye… Of course, she was here, why was Maron not so surprised? Flaye was leaned against a wall just past the exit's doors, facing away from the arena with arms firmly folded over each other. She shot a look of disapproval toward Maron with those fiery eyes of hers, expecting better from the younger girl. Maron, for once, could agree with that sentiment, but Flaye was one to distract her—in a sense. "I would have expected better after all those nights you spent training." She said, slightly disappointed that this was all that Maron seemed to offer.
"You think I don't know that?" Maron snapped at the woman who looked unfazed, "And why am I not surprised you're here spying on me?"
"I'm keeping an eye on you for the sake of your team." Flaye answered, having narrowed her eyes again, "Otherwise—"
"I would have been fine on my own." Maron growled, furious with having to constantly repeat herself time and time again. "We were doing just fine without you before; I can do just fine without you now." She emphasized with a quick finger pointed to herself then to the woman. She tried to walk away, but Flaye stopped her with her closest hand having grabbed Maron's shoulder. They faced opposite directions, neither willing to spare even a glance toward each other.
"You wouldn't have survived, nor would you have made it here at all." Flaye retorted coldly, "And let's not forget who allowed you and your team into Shade, Maron." She continued in a calm manner. The younger girl threw the woman's hand off of her and continued forward. Maron only made it a few more steps before Flaye continued, "Abandoning your team? I would have thought you better than that." She finished with a disappointed tone, looking over her shoulder at the back of the younger girl.
Maron stopped Maron in her tracks, she knew the provocation was intentional, but she was simply too tired to strike back in anger. With a small sigh, she looked over her shoulder with furrowed brows, "What do you want?" She asked in a tired but more calmed tone. Right now, she just wanted this over and done with.
"I'm here to pick you up." Flaye began, her statement earning a raised eyebrow from Maron, "You and your team have work to do."
Maron gave an obvious fake laugh, "Yeah, that's not happening." She declined, dropping her fake expression to a real one of annoyance as she turned to face Flaye. She shifted to one leg and crossed her arms, "Didn't I already tell you before? I'm not interested in anything you have to offer." She replied with a small swipe of her hand to the side.
"You had your chance to walk away—twice." Flaye argued, raising her voice upon saying the last word, "And yet you returned both times. Strange that how you act, how you speak, all screams of someone who doesn't wish to be here in the first place. Yet, here you are. So, tell me, Maron, will training here bring you the answers you seek?" She questioned, "Have you found what you're after?"
"That's none of your business." Maron answered in a growl through clenched teeth.
"You made it my business when you stepped into our contract." Flaye countered with a slightly raised voice at the start. She approached the girl, closing the distance and standing imposingly above her by a few inches while giving off an angered expression, "You wanted to play the 'hero'? Fine, I have a place for you and your team." She stated.
"And if I refuse?"
"You're not in a position to make that choice anymore, Maron." The Huntress answered, "You've already caused one too many headaches for me to deal with as it is, and if someone else were to find out about your little excursion—on top of knowing you cheated your way here in the first place," The woman placed one hand over her forehead to rub her temples in slight fit of annoyance, before returning her sights to the girl in front of her, "Then you'd be on your own. And we both know the end result of that path." She finished.
"Hey, you were the one who gave us those trinkets!" Maron angrily countered with a finger pushing off Flaye's chest, "Secondly, it wouldn't matter. Even the professors didn't seem to care so long as we had one on hand to give them."
"And you believed that to be the end of it?" Flaye questioned.
"Is there a point to make or are you just wasting my time?"
Flaye let out small 'hmph' alongside a pair of furrowed brows, "Come now, Maron, I would've thought you smart enough to pick up things by now. Your friend certainly is. So, I'll just ask you bluntly: Never have you wondered why no one asked questions? Why the cause of your success was never brought up again?"
"Would that matter at this point?"
"Of course. You four were utterly defeated and left behind in the second most inhospitable environment in all of Remnant. You failed your initial objective, you failed to defeat any opponent, and you failed to find an Airbus on your own. Starting to see the pattern yet?"
"Get on with it! I don't intend to spend the rest of my day standing around talking."
"Maron, no academy would survive long—at least not without being the center of condemnation and disdain—if it willingly let its students be felled during supervised training, let alone an initiation. So how do you thinkthey were able to find you and all the others who did not succeed?" Flaye said while she drew her own Scroll to wave in front of the other girl. It was an obvious hint that Maron only just now understood. "And if I'm not mistaken, initiates weren't allowed to use their Scrolls, now, could they? They had been jammed for the duration of your initiation." Flaye pointed out.
Maron opened her mouth to speak but blanked out on the words. It was the first domino to fall, and then she finally understood the pieces that fell into place, "S-So what?" Maron stuttered, "They kept track of our Scrolls and knew our locations…" Maron trailed off as her defense fell apart, "From the beginning…" She finally whispered to herself.
Flaye's silence was more than enough to acknowledge Maron's thought as correct, but that didn't stop a condescending comment, "Careful, you might actually learn something." She remarked before continuing, "It's fortunate they no longer need to do so after initiation is complete." Flaye added, "Else it may have been them who found you over at that old refinery and not me."
"But if they always knew where everyone was, then the trinkets, they—"
"Already know." Flaye finished with a light but still serious look on her face, "They know you failed to acquire your own, and they know you never encountered another initiate afterwords either." She stated, "I'd be more curious about why they'd allow such an exception to their otherwise strict codes and rules, but I suppose even pride has its limits when peculiar circumstances arise."
Maron's shoulders eased up in defeat. What was she to do now? So far, Shade seemed to allow her and her team to stay, but Flaye was right in that regard. 'Why'? There were certainly other initiates who could've made it, doubly so had Shade learned about Flaye's own interference. Was it out of pity? No, they didn't even know who she was until she enrolled, even then it wasn't exactly their mantra, not according to all she's heard about Shade's ideals. Still, there was one other matter to attend to, "What do you want?" Maron asked Flaye in a defeated, tired tone, "What is it you're after?"
"Now that is a question neither of us are willing to answer just yet. In my case, it is because you have not earned it. Not until I can trust you with it. However, I will tell you the same thing I told the others: I want assistance for the future, and your team is the perfect candidate for what I need—minus the additional training of course. You four still have lessons to learn." The woman answered.
"So, what? You gonna' teach us to be 'real Huntresses'?" Maron asked in a mocking tone, putting up her hands as she said those last two words with finger quotes.
"No." Flaye stated flatly and gently, catching Maron off guard before her voice softened to finish her answer, "I will not."
Maron was taken aback and stunned. She had expected a different answer, one that might have put the woman on the defensive had Maron gotten her way, but now she had lost any string of words that could have come out.
"I can teach you to fight, be it Grimm, or more… 'mortal' foes we'll call them. I can help you prepare for the future and whatever challenges and monstrous horrors it may hold. But I can only do so much. No, to be a Huntress is something that cannot be taught in a classroom, nor is it granted with a mere license. Only through real experience is one tested, sometimes broken, and out there in the field is where you learn lessons not taught elsewhere; and whether or not you deserve that title."
"And you?" Maron questioned, only to have it be ignored by the woman.
"Come," Flaye beckoned with a small gesture of her hand, "Your friends are already waiting for you. It's best not to keep them." She stated as she started her walk past Maron. Dumbfounded, Maron looked back to a departing Flaye, then back at the empty floor around her. What else could she have done? Maron didn't find any other choice available. So, just like the night at that old, rusted district, she followed behind the woman down the halls of the academy to some other part of it.
For a while, the pair traversed the bland, sparsely populated halls. It was a silent trip, neither sharing another word since their prior conversation, but that was fine for Maron. During their walk, she had initially expected to be given a few odd looks from other students. It wasn't common for a Huntsman to wander the halls so freely with a student in tow, but it was an unremarkable occurrence considering how central Shade was to the city it both towered over and was surrounded by. Being a center for training activities and, more importantly, work for Huntsmen, it was only natural that professionals and students alike would spend their time there, even if only the latter resided within its dorms. That, and dedicated instructors were hard to come by for Shade, forcing the academy to hire locally, like Blizz as Maron correctly recalled. Afterall, Shade wasn't exactly a popular choice for employment, especially when considering the competition elsewhere.
Sometime later, after a little more traveling through Shade's halls, Flaye had stopped outside the door of a private meeting room, one of a number the academy had for more 'traditional' school activities be it a group project or just to just laze about in. "They let you borrow a room for this?" Maron raised an eye toward the taller woman.
"A simple precaution." Flaye answered, though not for Maron's question, "Privacy and security are helpful when dealing with non-Grimm foes, and being surrounded by Huntsmen, even if they're just students, tends to keep prying ears away. Besides, would you really have preferred me bringing you to my own place of residence?" She glanced over her shoulder to ask Maron.
"Fair point." She replied as Flaye pushed open the door for her. Maron stepped inside looking around the relatively small room. It was bigger than her dorm, that was for sure, and on the opposite side of the room was a much larger and longer window that let in the sunlight. The windows themselves were lightly tinted, made for when the midday sun struck hardest, but now it just bathed the room in an orange-ish hue of fading light. At the center of the rectangular room was a small, dark table with a couple of papers and a map resting upon it, but the trio of faces sitting around it are what really caught Maron's attention.
"Hey, Maron! Glad you finally decided to join us!" An enthusiastic Toma was first to speak out among the three with a warm smile on her face. Shae, meanwhile, had given a half-interested glance before turning looking away with disinterest and with the intent to avoid Maron's look her way. The final one of the three was Trya, who, like little more than a stranger meeting someone new for the first time, greeted Maron with a quiet 'hello'.
"Yeah…" Maron narrowed her eyes toward Flaye who shut the door behind them before she continued over toward the window. With her hand still firmly gripped to her weapon's scabbard, the woman stared out onto the bustling streets and scenery outside, ignoring the group as she appeared lost in her own thoughts. Maron turned away from her, quick to get familiar with whatever it was the other girls were doing, "So, what have I been dragged into?" She asked them as she took a seat in an empty chair next to Trya.
"We're—" Toma started before immediately being interrupted by Flaye who had returned to the table.
"Since you four were so eager to play the part, you'll be joining me in finishing off my team's mission. It's quite literally the least you can do for getting in our way." Flaye answered in place of Toma.
"S-Sorry about that." Toma apologized nervously, hand scratching the back of her head as she forced a short chuckle.
The woman turned away from the window and walked over to the head of the table, "You'll be performing an important yet underutilized job in our line of work: Planning and information gathering. Fortunately for you all, the latter half of that has already been done for you."
"Come on, what could be so difficult as to warrant a whole war strategy?" Toma questioned after leaning back in her chair, "You said it was just a small-time gang or whatever, right?"
"That kind of thinking is what gets whole teams killed, Toma. I do hope Shade's professors aren't encouraging such careless thoughts." Flaye looked over to the girl, a little displeased.
"I-Is it really that dangerous?" Trya voice squeaked from her chair, looking startled after hearing the older Huntress's warning.
"Perhaps, perhaps not, but that's not as important." Flaye replied to the Faunus, "While I'll admit that some jobs may be simple or end up being easy, it's best to form a habit of preparing for any real challenge up ahead. Hope for the best, plan for worst, and always expect something to go wrong."
"Why is that?" Maron asked.
"Because this isn't Atlas," Flaye's hands lightly hit the table as if to accentuate her point, "There won't be soldiers coming to your aid. This isn't Mistreal either, you can't run and hide in the terrain here. And this most certainly isn't Vale." She finished her list, a drop of venom in her tone as she mentioned the last kingdom.
"What's wrong with Vale?" Toma took her turn to ask after a half a second of silence.
Flaye straightened herself up and let out a small exhale, "It's not relevant to our current task, so let's get back to the topic at hand: Your assignment." She finished and returned the girls' attention to the blueprint laid out on the table. The layout on the structure didn't look very imposing, in fact, it appeared to resemble just a common warehouse, one of countless that dotted Vacuo. Maron had a hard time figuring out what it was that made this simple storage building so different from the others, but she decided keep quiet and let Flaye continue her explanation, "Our target is a small thorn trying to root themselves into Vacuo as something bigger than it really is. They're nothing serious, yet, just the common illicit goods peddlers and other services."
"In other words, something Vacuo's authorities can't be bothered to fix." Maron said with a mildly annoyed look as she crossed her arms over her chest. Leave it to the authorities to not do their job, typical for Vacuo to leave the harder work for someone else.
"Precisely," Flaye confirmed, "That was until recently, when a string of murders and high-valued robberies starting appearing. Unfortunately, with the one remaining lead we had now dead," She briefly paused, then shifted her sights toward Maron for only a second, "We don't have any solid information other than the group affiliation, though I'm sure you already had the idea, Toma, Trya." She then narrowed her eyes to the two girls.
"So, we just break in and beat em' down?" Toma asked, "I won't complain, sounds a little fun even!"
"I don't think 'fun'…" Maron stopped herself and gave up, "Ugh, forget it."
"As I was saying, we're facing a medium sized gang looking to corrupt and usurp the rule from Vacuo's officials, maybe even expand beyond. However, we are going to tear it out by the roots, sever its heads, and forcibly dissolve the wannabe syndicate permanently."
"Can't you do it yourself?" Shae finally spoke up with her complaint.
"Indeed, I could." The Huntress at the head of the table said, prompting an annoyed look from Shae, "But you have debt to repay, and I aim to collect it. And, with my own team busy with their own targets for this mission, I'm short-handed and would prefer to keep my target from escaping. Alone, and they'd have the greatest chance of escape should they be so inclined to flee. That's where you four come in."
"Can't be worse than sitting through a class lecture, haha." Toma stated with an amused laugh.
"If things go smoothly, you four won't be doing much fighting. Your role in this is to contain and prevent anyone from escaping, though you are free to defend yourself should the need arise."
"Hold on, what's the catch?" Shae asked, cautious of the plan being set up for them, "I don't believe something could be that simple."
"None. All I expect is for you four to prevent anyone from escape, I shall clean up the rest and then we'll be done with it."
"Then what's the point if we're just going to stand around!" Shae exclaimed.
"Think of it as a merciful punishment. You may join, but are forbidden from acting too independently until I allow it." Flaye replied.
"Hah, and I thought you wanted to teach us something." Maron scoffed.
The woman looked over to her, unamused, "Unlike the academies' ways of doing things, Maron, I believe you trainees should actually learn and exercise something useful rather than write papers or whatever it is they pass for 'punishment' nowadays. So, I first and foremost want to see how you four would normally plan for a confrontation, Grimm or otherwise. What is your strategy?"
There was an air of silence between the four girls who looked to each other for answers, but none had anything to reply with. "We, uh," Toma was the first and only one to speak up, "Don't actually make any plans…"
Flaye blankly stared at the four with a half-tired expression. With a light sigh, she cursed under her breath before recomposing herself, "You've done it once before during our first encounter, so evidently someone here had the bright idea to plan ahead."
Toma and Shae turned their attention toward Maron with even Trya trailing their gaze. Maron had looked back and forth between the two girls across the table. "What?" She asked after a few seconds of silence.
"Well, Maron, you are just full of surprises, aren't you?" Flaye said to Maron, "I'll lay out the foundations to get you started and with something to work with, but I expect you three," She narrowed her eyes to the other girls, "To be helpful to her. Offer suggestions and input, or even your own concerns." Flaye told them, "This isa team lesson after all." She finished before switching subjects, "Firstly, you must keep in mind that this map is only the layout of the structure as it was initially constructed." She began again, this time spreading her hands out over the blueprint in front of them, "By now, there could be any number of modifications made to this place. Hidden exits, extra rooms, whatever they may be, so keep that in mind for possible adjustments to your plan once you're inside." Flaye said before telling them of her role, "I shall draw their attention and deal with the lot of their defenders. You four are to sneak in and secure the exits. But 'how' you achieve this is entirely up to you." Flaye turned her eyes toward Maron, "You're free to begin."
"What if we do run into trouble?" Maron asked.
"You can handle a few poorly trained thugs."
"Right…" Maron muttered, then having turned her attention to the map in front of her, "Where to begin, where to begin…" She said to herself as she tried her best to analyze the layout of the plain structure.
"How about starting with 'how to get in'?" Maron heard Shae mockingly suggest, rolling her eyes as Maron shot her an annoyed frown.
"Well, if we have to cover a wider area, then we'll have to find different ways to get inside." Maron said in a raised voice, "Windows, roofs, vents. However—"
"Vents?" Toma chimed in, "Yeah, I'm… not so sure I want to get myself nor my clothes that dirty."
"Oh, get over it!" Maron shot back, "We need to get in without being seen, and I doubt we'll be able to walk through the front door."
"And after that?" Shae asked half-bored from her seat, kicking her legs over the corner edge of table.
"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!" An irritated Maron said before turning to Flaye, "What else do we have to do? Or rather, what else can we expect?" She asked her.
"So long as no one escapes, you have free reign to do as you please." Flaye answered, "As for what's in store, I can only guarantee a handful of criminals armed with simple weapons. However, there might be the rare 'well-equipped' enemy with those Atlesian weapons, do keep that in mind."
"So then, what if we regrouped and rushed after your target?"
"Altering your mission objective?" Flaye raised an eyebrow, "That is a different path than what I expect. Very well, I can accept it so long as you don't let them get away."
"Yeah, cause fighting the 'big bad' went so well for us last time, Maron." Shae commented sarcastically.
Maron looked over to the other girl, "Last I checked, you were flat on your face and needing my help!" She shouted with a finger pointed toward the other girl, "And, unlike you, I could pull my own weight." She slighted.
Shae put her legs down and jumped up from her seat, "Then maybe I should've let—" Shae started to retaliate until being interrupted.
Flaye's sheathed blade slammed against the table, startling the group as they looked to its upset owner, "You two can settle it later. This is more important, and so long as you are training together, I expect professionalism, I expect you to work together. Do I make myself clear?" She finished in a threatening tone which forced the squabbling pair to back down with small, begrudging agreements. Shae had sat back into her chair and folded her arms, looking away with a resentful pout while Maron appeared a little more flustered but quickly recomposed herself. "Good," Flaye said, returning to hold her weapon by her hip, "I knew you could get along."
"A-Anyways, if we're going to go after this person of interest, we'll need to regroup once inside before taking them head on." Maron continued with a sight stutter at the start.
"Not that I mind a good fight, but," Toma then began, "Do we even know who we're up against? In terms of strength, I mean."
"Let's just assume it'll be tougher than any of our previous fights." Maron looked to Flaye, "'Plan for the worst', right?" She echoed Flaye's words, receiving a pleased smirk from her, "We still need to spread out though, at least until we get inside. After that it's just a matter getting together and hunting them down."
"Righty, then where do we start?" Toma asked Maron.
Maron looked over the blueprint, picking out points of interest that could help her direct her team inside. "The building's a two-story structure, so it might be best to have someone above. Toma, there's an outdoor stairwell and exterior walkway over here," She pressed her finger on the corresponding spot on the map, "Think you can handle a few stragglers? It's closest to the entrance with Flaye."
"Shouldn't be a problem if our night out is anything to go by!" Toma interlocked her fingers and stretched them, "I was hoping for a little action anyways."
"Don't get too off task." Maron replied, "Shae, over here's looks like a small office space. Break a window and get in?"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Shae casually acknowledged in a dismissive manner, still carrying with her an upset tone.
Not bothering with her, Maron continue, "Trya, you'll have to go through the storage loading bay, it should be simple to get in if everyone's focused on Flaye."
"W-Will I have to go a-alone?" The Faunus asked.
"You'll be alright; you shouldn't really run into anyone considering how big a space it is. Especially if you stay hidden." Maron replied. Trya looked like she wanted to say something else, but quickly shut her mouth and accepted her part. "I'll try one of the rear exits, if not I'll rejoin Trya as quick as I can." Maron finished, hoping that her words had given the Faunus some sense of relief.
"If we're done here, I'm leaving." Shae said after a small silence and after having pushed herself off the table to stand. It was subtle, but her expression did still carry an irritated frown to it, "I'll see you back at the dorm later."
Maron didn't so much as bat an eye as Shae left the room, her mind too focused on how to best prepare for the engagement that was to come. Even then, she wasn't in a particularly great mood to deal with Shae, not that she was willing to do so in the first place.
"I'll… go talk to her…" Toma told the rest of the group after having stood from her seat.
"No need to rush." Maron replied with a light wave, taking her eyes off the blueprint in front of her to watch Toma leave the room to go after Shae. For a while, there was nothing but silence as Maron went back and studied the map further, taking in what she could to have a good mental map of where everything was. Once she thought herself done, she pulled her arm behind her head and gave It and her neck a quick stretch. She opened an eye to glance at Flaye who had taken Toma's seat across from her and diligently went through her Scroll. "I'm surprised you aren't going to say anything." Maron commented as she leaned back in her chair. Tiredness from her earlier assessment started catching up to her again, so she made herself comfortable just enough to rest her eyes.
"She's part of your team, not mine. Settle your internal affair yourself, Maron." The woman answered back.
"Why don't we talk more about this whole thing, then?" Maron opened her eyes back up and looked forward to the woman.
"I'm glad to see you're asking questions. What would you like to know?" Flaye asked softly, putting away her Scroll and leaning back comfortably in her seat as well.
"Who we're up against, first and foremost." Maron started, "I feel we've skipped over a lot of details."
Flaye gave another pleased smirk and answered the girl, "Who we're after is a Mistral native who, for one reason or another, moved into Vacuo years ago. 'Banan' is what he goes by. For a long while, he tried to establish himself as the dominant crime organization in the kingdom, but he hasn't the brawn nor the brain to do anything meaningful. He always chased after short-term glory, looking to increase his personal status over anything else."
"Is that it?" Maron asked, a little puzzled by the simplicity.
"Indeed so, as you've mentioned before, Vacuo's authorities didn't bother with him because of how menial his operations are. Little more than a glorified smuggler at best. However, he crossed a line, and now he will pay the price."
"And your team?"
"As I've stated already, they have their roles to play; that would be to eliminate the lieutenants of this little bunch and put an end to their organization permanently."
"Let me guess, you're getting well paid for this?"
"Oho, I'd be more concerned with how your friends will fair in the heat of battle. It's one thing to spar against an opponent, be it myself or your classmates, it's another to face a foe who would gladly kill you… or perhaps worse." Her eyes shifted over to the still present Trya who rested her head on the table with heavy-looking eyes. "Trya," Flaye called, "Tell us what your thoughts on the matter are."
The Faunus's ears perked up, "M-Mine?" She stammered, "I-I don't know…"
"Come now Trya, no need to be so reserved here." Flaye encouraged the girl to speak out.
"W-Well, I don't… I'm not sure I can go..." She finally admitted, "I-I'm not capable nor strong enough to keep up…" She said somberly.
Maron waited for Flaye to say something in response but a small glance and the subtlest of smiles from the woman was enough to pressure Maron to speak to the pitiable girl first. "N-No, you'll be fine! Like I said!" Maron began, "Flaye—she'll be grabbing all the attention, so you should be in the clear. Plus, you can handle a person or two, I know it."
"I hope that's true…" Trya somberly muttered.
"Take as much time as you need, Trya." Flaye said as she put a hand to her mouth to hide a short chuckle, "Don't feel too pressured though, you have plenty of time to prepare." She told her. "We'll meet again throughout the rest of the week." She switched subjects back to their mission, "I'll provide more details during our next meetings and help refine your idea into something more solid, Maron." She finished saying before standing up and gathering the materials from the table, "Until then, prepare yourself and feel free to ask questions."
Ask questions… Ask questions… An idea sparked in her mind when she just so happened to remember what her professor had said to her. All this time searching and she hadn't even made the time to actually learn and to research. Where was the prey she sought? Where would she even begin? Those were thoughts that returned and ran across Maron's mind. Ones that brought about a bitterness with them, but if there was a chance to find a place to get started then she should take it. "Wait." Maron called out as Flaye was about to turn to leave. The woman looked over with a short 'Yes?'. Shade's teachers likely weren't going to help her, but she could get something from Flaye instead, "It's not related to our mission, but… Is there a place to find records of past missions and those that accepted them?" Maron asked, intentionally hiding what she was after. Her foe was a Huntsman, she knew that much, and if that Huntsman had a mission around the place that she once called home, then perhaps she could dig up more information. It was a very longshot, not to mention how miniscule of a chance she had at finding something, but Maron knew that. However, if she could find at least one name, then the real mission could begin.
A.N.: Thanks for the wait. This one was an unexpected hurdle to figure out, but the next one should be quicker.
Unless it's the future and already out, then nevermind.
As always, enjoy!
~Firetoast312