Rogue Huntsman
Anxiety
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Arex managed to make it back to their dorm's window in a much less record-breaking time than when she flew out to Lylac's apartment.
It just… didn't feel so pressing to make that return trip. So she didn't mind taking her time.
When she got back, it wasn't hard convincing Kit to put together a bag for about a week.
It didn't take long to get her own bag together either. She just packed away everything she needed. When they were done getting everything Arex thought would be a good idea to pack up, she picked up her own bag and glanced to Kit, frowning for a moment.
She hadn't even told Kit exactly what was happening or why it was happening, but Kit just went along with it.
So she felt a little bad dragging the girl into this. Especially now that she looked at the bag pulling Kit's arms down as she stood patiently and looked to Arex for directions.
"I can't fly us there… the bags would be too heavy. So I think we're just going to have to settle for public transportation," Arex said, offering an apologetic smile.
Kit's ears suddenly folded for a moment as she nodded, starting to sway her bag a little.
R-Right… Kit probably wasn't a fan of public transport. Not with that kind of proximity to strangers.
Arex didn't like it herself, but she knew Kit probably had it a lot harder due to having something to hide.
But a harsh bleeping emitted from Arex's sweatpants to get the girl's attention, stopping them before they could head out.
"Actually, transport has already been arranged for you both."
That was GHOST's voice…
"It has?" Arex asked, pulling out the projector in her pocket to stare down at it in question.
"You'll see. Assuming you leave via the courtyard and not the window," GHOST replied, flashing Arex a small smile as she spoke. "It might be a little more than what you're used to, but it'll get you both to Ly's."
Arex… wasn't sure what to think about that. A little more than she was used to?
"W-We'll leave for the courtyard," she replied, feeling weirdly ashamed that she wasn't capable of leaving through the window anymore. "But… what exactly did you mean?"
"Trust me when I say this, your transport has been arranged. Once you've packed your bags, you'll know it once you see it."
GHOST had a little prideful gaze in her avatar's holographic projection, only worrying Arex a little as she placed her hand on her hip.
"I don't know how I feel about that look…" Arex muttered concernedly, sighing as she slipped the projector back into her pocket and took a stronger hold of her duffle.
Kit was already at the door, nudging it open with her boot.
The phoenix quietly followed Kit out and made it out of the building, taking some of the back pathways to keep out of the general vicinity of other students as they walked.
She honestly didn't want people asking questions about why they were leaving campus with their items packed away in bags.
But as they slowly approached the courtyard from one of the side paths, Arex noticed a small twitch to Kit's ears. A curious gleam nestled into Kit's marigold eyes as they drew closer and Arex couldn't help but pale a little at seeing that.
She was getting a little anxious now.
By the time they finally reached the courtyard, some stray students there were already staring at something by the open gates.
Yeah… now she was really getting anxious.
"GHOST, please tell me that's not what it looks like…" Arex muttered quietly, almost nervously, as she tracked her gaze across the courtyard to a quietly purring sports car.
"It's exactly what it looks like," GHOST responded, tone blatant enough Arex could hear the grin on the AI's face. "Your transportation."
The phoenix inwardly groaned as she let out a pent-up sigh, which didn't help relieve any of her tension. She was starting to look as worried and anxious as she felt, mumbling something to herself. "P-People are g-going to think it's mine…"
Kit stepped in front of her to catch her drifting gaze, trying to sooth the phoenix a little with a reassuring smile and a nudge in the car's direction.
But it really didn't help.
No matter how they went about it, people were going to see them climb into that car.
And Arex was going to be the one forced into the driver's seat.
Because she knew it'd look so much worse if Kit got behind the wheel instead.
"Please tell me there isn't anyone I know nearby," Arex muttered to herself now, resigning to her anxiety just a little as she grazed a cautious gaze around to the few students gathering around the courtyard.
Her face only paled even more when she saw Ruby and her team hanging around one of the benches.
Great…
"I-Is public t-transport still not an option?" Arex squeaked again, but found herself stumbling forward into a reserved walk when Kit got in front of her and started tugging her wrists along with her tails.
"The next transport leaves in 45 minutes, and judging by your sister's tone of voice, it sounded like she wanted you both at Ly's urgently," GHOST explained indifferently. "This vehicle will get you there much quicker."
Arex caught an affirmative nod from Kit ahead of her and inwardly complained about the kitsune answering for her, the grip on her bags growing tighter.
Ruby was watching. Her team was watching. Everybody nearby was watching as two girls with duffle bags slowly approached a fully tinted windowed Fenyr Supersport sitting in idle.
It was worse than a sports car. It was sportier than a sports car.
All of it was painted and plated in dark gray steel, sharp contours and angles curving through the design in that elegant, attention-magnetizing way.
Hard angles clung to the exterior of the car like a snug, form-fitting, aerodynamic glove, showcasing just how much depth the car actually had in all the shadowed grooves and layers just the frame had to show on the outside.
It was almost arrow-like, the headlights and rear lights drawn in sharp-angled slits to almost bask in knowing that it looked good.
That, and Arex honestly thought it gave the car a feminine touch. A very fast… and aggressive… streamlined… feminine touch.
The windows and tires were obsidian black, which looked nice altogether, but the tire rims were painted a shiny crimson to accent the car's beauty even more.
Perfect...
A-And now Ruby was staring with wide eyes as that universal attention shifted to them…
Arex dropped her gaze to the ground as she watched the courtyard stones trail beneath her walking sneakers, Kit's tails still ushering her forward to step up to the side of the car.
She could swear she could hear just how loud GHOST's smirk was when the door in front of them opened on its own and slid the driver seat forward.
Opening space to get their bags into the back seats.
G-Great! Everything was great!
Couldn't be better!
Arex was dying.
Everybody was watching her die.
Kit's tails didn't let go from their grasp around her slim wrists, knowing that if she did, there was just the slightest chance Arex would up and bolt.
And she would, too. She wanted to.
But something told her the quivering legs just barely holding her steady right now wouldn't work well enough to make that happen.
In fact, she kinda felt a little lightheaded with how flustered she was.
Her hazy mind only grew hazier as the heat of attention rose and her anxiety spiked, Kit turning back to regard her with a look of worry before gently taking Arex's bag out of her tight grasp. The kitsune moved that into the back seats as well, then leaned back out of the car.
The driver's seat moved back into position, and the shotgun door popped open now as well.
And Arex honestly thought she'd fall over if Kit let go of her supportive hold keeping her steady. Giving her a direction.
Arex's anxious mind was honestly too blank to figure that out on her own.
She had just enough of herself still held together to climb into the car once ushered, nervously situating herself into the driver's seat to rest her legs down beneath the wheel.
Her mind had half a thought to realize how spacious it was for her, but she was a generally small person to begin with.
So that kind of came with the territory.
Her arms closed in tightly to her body as the door closed, and she was left in the silence of the car, alone, for a few short seconds while she watched Kit make her way around front and to her own door.
The muttering was still going on outside as the kitsune climbed into the passenger seat, tails making room as she sat back.
Everything felt surreal as Kit's door began to close, the seal blocking out the murmurs flooding the courtyard with a sudden, almost relieving drop of ambient silence.
It was just the gentle purr of the car now and Kit's tiny movements. Nothing else.
And Arex finally realized she could actually breathe again.
"Don't worry, Arex. I'll handle the driving. You and Kit can just sit back and relax. You can even fall asleep if you'd like," GHOST's voice came out of the car's speakers this time, the AI's avatar appearing on the dashboard as she walked around a little on its surface. "The windows are fully tinted, so no one's going to be able to see anything inside."
Arex was actually grateful for that. She didn't know if she was in any state to actually drive right now.
She'd piloted drones before. Driven RC's remotely as well. But… she'd never actually been behind the wheel of a real car.
Come to think of it… she was suddenly realizing she actually had no real idea how to drive one.
Arex eventually nodded her head to what GHOST said, feeling numb but working her way back from it. She was still feeling anxious, but not as much as she was outside the vehicle.
"Good. We can head out as soon as you'd like," GHOST continued, a small shifting of panels entering Arex's ears as she looked down to see the pedals retracting away.
It helped with her nerves a little, knowing that she could stretch out her legs without accidentally pressing any of those.
"Any requests? I have full access to all radio stations, personal playlists, and the internet through the Interceptor's built-in satellite. It also has cup holders, seat warmers, automated seatbelts, and War Mode."
"W-War M-Mode?" Arex managed to squeak out softly, her fingers twisting and tugging numbly at the hem of her sweater.
"Yes, but to save you from worrying too much, I will simply state that this car is ready for combat situations. Should the necessity ever arise," GHOST explained.
"O-Oh…" Arex numbly nodded again, the action even tinier than it was before.
GHOST was actually starting to get a little worried about her.
The press of a button disturbed the dwindling silence though, and GHOST turned to find Kit's finger pulling away from the seat warmer symbol on the button panel.
"Ah, you found the seat warmer controls. Every seat has one," GHOST commented, quirking her head as Kit's gaze turned to her.
That gaze suddenly began to widen though, Kit starting to shift slightly in her seat as she wiggled herself against the rising heat of the pad beneath her.
Arex finally drew her gaze over now as Kit's eyes fluttered closed and her lips parted slightly, a relaxed sigh leaving Kit's small nose. All three of her tails stopped all motions as they lowered to press against the seat now too, fox ears drooping dully on her head.
"Kit?" Arex asked quietly.
The kitsune was unresponsive.
"She must really enjoy heat," GHOST said with a coy smile, turning her small gaze back to Arex.
Arex just nodded, her daze seemingly coming to a fading end as she bit her lower lip. "Yeah, she doesn't like to feel cold."
GHOST hummed amusedly as she smiled more. "So I've noticed. Are you ready?"
It took Arex a moment, but she took a deep breath and slowly nodded her head, feeling most of her nerves finally leave her.
GHOST gave a tiny nod of her own as the seatbelts came down and molded over the two girls' shoulders, collapsing down to lock across their lap as well and snap into place.
Twin clicks sounded out once they were in place, and GHOST shifted the gears, ready to go.
Only for one of those clicks to sound back out as Kit undid her seatbelt.
"Kit?" Arex asked worriedly, looking over to see an intensely focused gaze resting on Kitsuki's face.
The girl suddenly pushed herself up, drawing her legs onto her seat before lowering herself entirely and curling up on the heated material beneath her.
Her ears immediately fluttered in bliss at the rising heat inside her magic seat, a long, drawn-out breath shuddering out of her lips as she cutely melted into it.
Arex didn't catch how long she was adoringly staring for, eventually glancing back to GHOST on the dash with an apologetic smile.
"Drive carefully?" she requested softly in a worried tone for her partner, knowing Kit was just a few seconds away from falling asleep in that position.
"I'm an AI, Arex, one that's been told to keep you alive," GHOST responded evenly. "I'll drive as carefully as you need me to."
"Okay, thank you, then," Arex replied, breathing another sigh of relief. Kit didn't have her seatbelt on anymore. That was her main worry.
The car eventually started moving on its own, its wheel turning to take them out of Beacon's gates and head down the road by the cliffside.
She'd honestly never taken it before, but as the car picked up a gradual, seemingly uncapped speed, the sunlight outside faded away as they entered the ambiance of a carved tunnel. Its road ran down the outcrop of Beacon's cliffside, carved through to keep the right wall open to the air outside.
Overlooking the massive mountain lake.
That was what took them to the city.
Arex stayed awake for the short drive, GHOST surprisingly good at filtering traffic lights without suspicion in a way to change the flow of cars in their favor.
They didn't need to stop at all as they crossed the majority of the city to get to Ly's coastal apartment.
When they pulled up front, the car came to a gradual stop just outside the main lobby doors. Arex's eyes glanced around for a moment as she saw a partially filled parking lot, the scene of the ocean rolling just over its far railing.
"Ly is waiting for you in the lobby to take you upstairs," GHOST informed, walking to the center of the dashboard to look between the two of them. "Take your time. There's no rush."
Arex nodded to that as she smiled her thanks, her seatbelt coming undone and folding back up into the seat over her shoulder as she leaned forward.
She carefully regarded her napping partner in the passenger seat, and almost felt a little bad needing to wake her up to get them inside.
But they couldn't sit out here forever.
Even if Kit wanted to.
Arex carefully reached over and turned off the kitsune's seat warmer, letting the heat begin to die down before moving her hand to Kit's shoulder to give it a little nudge.
"Kit," Arex whispered quietly, moving her touch just slightly higher to gently pinch the tip of Kit's closest fox ear. "We're here."
It was times like this Arex was glad Kit was a light sleeper, watching her white ears flutter as she yawned on her seat.
Her legs curled up just a little bit more before her eyes slowly opened, dreary golden-orange irises drawing into lidded slits to peer silently up to meet Arex's gaze.
The phoenix took her hand away when it did, leaning back into her own side of the car as she watched the kitsune slide her legs from her seat and rest her socked feet next to her removed boots in front of her.
Arex took them off her sometime during the drive, since they looked uncomfortable like that.
Kit seemed to make some sense of where they were, looking out the window for a moment before turning her sleep-ridden gaze down to her boots.
She silently pulled them back on and tied them up, nodding tinily once she was ready to head out.
"We'll meet you upstairs then, GHOST?" Arex questioned, opening her door before climbing out of the low vehicle. She figured the AI had to deal with storing the car somewhere.
The AI nodded before her avatar slowly faded away, leaving the two of them to grab their bags out of the car once they were out of their seats.
The car quietly rolled away after the doors closed themselves, Kit and Arex standing at the lobby's outer doors with their bags in-hand as they stared up at the building's front.
It was… much higher than Arex realized. She'd only seen it from the sky.
Things always looked more impressive from the ground.
But if Kit was in awe or anything, Arex honestly couldn't tell.
The kitsune still had that neutral gaze on her face. Like she always did.
"Let's head inside," Arex finally suggested, being the first to start walking forward as they made their way through the automated doors and into the foyer of the lobby.
"There you are." Ly's pink and blue expectant gaze fell on the two of them as they entered, the young woman pushing herself away from the wall and casually walking toward them. "And here I was thinking you'd get lost without G's navigational assistance."
"She drove us here, actually," Arex corrected softly, coming to a stop in front of the woman as she gazed evenly at her.
It felt off when she first met her, but this only reminded her that the two of them were the same height.
Kit was still three inches shorter, though.
"She escort you in the Interceptor?" Ly asked, cocking her hip to the side as she rested her hand on it. "Figured she'd show off her favorite toy to you."
Arex cocked her head questioningly at that as she gave an apprehensive smile. But it probably came across as bashful, which wouldn't be wrong either. "She did. It was a smooth ride, actually. I liked it. Kit liked it a lot more than I did, though…"
The phoenix let her gaze drift to her partner at her side as the kitsune looked around the elegant expanse of the room. It was built to impress.
"She was asleep before we even left the courtyard."
Ly spared a glance toward the three-tailed girl next to Arex, a little excitement filtering in through her multicolored eyes.
"I didn't know you had a puppy."
The comment brought Arex to quirk a delicate brow as she questioned the way Ly was looking at her partner, but she couldn't help but admit she liked the thought of Kit being her puppy.
A small smile curled across Ly's lips the longer she looked at Kit, who'd only just now glanced back at her. The woman had already crossed the short distance between them once she did.
"Y-Yeah, you can say that," Arex offered, watching Ly's eyes roam up and down Kit's slim frame as the kitsune stared up confusedly at the woman's face. "She can act like one. But I found she resembles more of a cute kitten than a puppy."
"You think she's cute, Arex?" Ly replied, flashing a tiny smirk toward the phoenix with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Kit's gaze followed the knowing glance and Arex immediately reeled back at what she just got called out for, a faint blush quickly flushing her cheeks as she tried to get out a reply.
"S-So? I think she is…" Arex muttered back.
That… that wasn't much of a reply.
That was an admission.
Ly's smirk widened a little as her eyes fell solely on Arex's, staring with a look that saw straight through everything Arex was putting up for a couple of painful moments before turning back to Kit.
Kit was still staring at Arex after Ly looked away, the phoenix struggling to meet the kitsune's mute gaze.
"I bet you do…" the young woman replied before turning on her heels. "But we'll discuss this later, I'm sure you'd like to dump those heavy-looking bags as soon as possible. So let's go."
Arex lowered her gaze finally and peered through a few stray strands of hair to Kit, who looked like she had no intention of moving yet until Arex met that look with her own.
It wasn't until then that Kit smiled tinily, then looked away, soft tails reaching out again to lightly cling to Arex's wrists and usher her into a walk to follow too.
"I-I never said thank you yet," Arex spoke shyly as they walked, trailing behind Ly as they headed toward the elevators, "for letting us stay here."
"You can thank me once you're settled, sweetie," Ly replied calmly, swiping a golden plastic card against a panel beside a pair of golden elevator doors. "Because then I can finally go to sleep…"
Arex suddenly realized Ly hadn't gotten any sleep yet, the three of them making their way into the elevator body before Ly pressed the top-most button on the panel.
"You can just show us to a room, we'll be fine from there," Arex offered, trying to make this quick so the woman could finally get some rest.
"You'll be in the room Ray stayed in last night," Ly replied, turning her gaze to the girl. "Don't worry, I saw to it that it's clean of any… mess… I replaced the mattress as well. You'll both be comfortable crashing there for the week, so long as you don't mind sharing the bed."
Arex suddenly felt her blush start to seep back into her cheeks as Ly said that, glancing across the way to see a cool-headed Kit nodding along to what Ly was saying.
She seemed entirely okay with how things were going. Not questioning a single thing.
"W-We're… fine… with that," Arex muttered out, catching a glimpse of Ly's forming smile.
"Wonderful. I trust you know where the door is then," Ly spoke evenly, as if she didn't just silently call out Arex in the middle of the ascending elevator. "I'll get you both inside and let you take it from there. I'll give you a proper tour of the apartment when I wake up."
Somehow, Arex had the mind to speak her thanks as the doors opened and Ly led them to her suite's door.
She was honestly a little too distracted with the way Kit was eyeing her.
As if she wasn't flustered enough with Ly poking fun at knowing something Anoel probably told her.
Or, was it really that obvious…?
Her blush seemed to only get worse as Ly unlocked the way into her apartment, leading them inside before closing the door behind her.
"Please, make yourselves at home. Feel free to lounge anywhere and do whatever you please. This is your home now. Don't be afraid to get comfortable," Ly spoke earnestly, making her way past them to start heading toward the hallway. "Nobody will judge you here."
She gave them one more smile before disappearing down the corridor, a door closing quietly shut at the end of the hall as Kit and Arex stood silently in the apartment foyer.
"Right…" Arex said idly, the silence of the apartment settling in as she took a breath. Her gaze turned to Kit, the kitsune patiently waiting beside her as she looked around the open floor plan of the suite. "Wanna set our bags down in our room then look around?"
They might as well explore a little. Ly was going to give them a proper tour when she got up, but until then, they were kind of on their own.
Arex didn't mind that all too much. It was what she was used to.
She just needed to think of ways to keep them occupied until classes the next day.
What were the chances Ruby forgot all about that car in the courtyard by then…?
Kit gave a sure nod to Arex's question, bringing her out of her thoughts as the phoenix smiled and led the way to the room Ray recovered in.
She was expecting there to be some kind of iron smell lingering, but was relieved to enter the room to a refreshing, clean scent instead.
Ly really knew how to clean that up.
Kit followed the phoenix inside. It wasn't a big room, but it had a large pane window and a bathroom on the opposite wall. One large dresser lined the wall to their left, and to the right beside the bathroom stood an open closet.
It was nice, actually. It… kind of felt like the dorm room, but with more natural light.
And a bigger bed.
That was actually one full bed. Not two beds pushed together.
"I'll probably just unpack later tonight," Arex said, dropping her bag down and kicking her shoes off by the foot of the bed as she saw Kit do the same a moment after.
Everything just felt so… calm. It was a drastic shift from yesterday.
She appreciated that things calmed down so soon, but she hated how it made her feel. It gave rise to so much uncertainty to realize she was able to relax after all that.
"We missed lunch…"
Kit's momentary sign brought Arex's mind back to the girl she was unknowingly still staring at, the realization quickly turning her gaze away as she nodded in understanding.
"I can make something, then. Ly probably has some ingredients stocked away for use," Arex spoke with a sigh, making her way out of their guest room to venture back into the main heart of the apartment.
Kit followed, eyes tracing over the open, polished kitchen as she slid herself up onto a stool at the breakfast bar. Arex made her way around it and onto the stone-tiled floor, padding over the cold surface to the cabinets and fridge.
She opened them one by one, scanning the contents tucked away before checking the fridge last.
Well… it looked like she was out of eggs.
So Arex had to think of something that didn't include that.
"Did you want something meaty? Or are you fine with anything?" Arex asked, wondering if Kit was craving anything right now.
With a glance back, she saw the kitsune leaning her cheek into her palm in thought as three tails idly swayed in the air behind her.
"Maybe a little meat."
She could work with that.
"Anything else? I can always just make a curry, if you'd like," Arex offered.
Kit seemed to mull the thought over for a few seconds before nodding her head swiftly, licking her small lips at the thought of the dish.
The cute display was more than enough to confirm the dish Arex wanted to make for their lunch.
"I knew I smelled something savory and tasteful," Anoel said, wandering into the room with a relaxed grin on her face. She'd just been lounging in her pajamas, it seemed.
Which was still her usual white t-shirt and black short-shorts.
Arex partially wondered if Ano just had spare changes of clothes here, but didn't really want to question it too much.
"When did you come in? Ly didn't tell me you were here."
"Not too long ago," Arex answered, playing with the last small segment of chicken curry in her bowl as she set her scroll down. "I made some extra for anyone who might have wanted any, if you're hungry."
Ano had already wandered into the kitchen by then, gazing down into the pot and peering into the pressure cooker to see how much rice was inside when she smiled at the scents floating around.
"I am. I haven't eaten anything all day," she replied, moving to pull a bowl from a cabinet and start gathering her own serving.
Arex picked her scroll back up to keep scanning her forum, flicking down to read another string of messages on her blog.
She really needed to think of what she wanted to do next. She had her next project in mind, but the talk with Ly was really starting to get her to question where she actually wanted to take herself.
She… almost wished it was just that easy to pick up an ambitious project and run with it.
It never really crossed her mind to try it through her blog's medium, but it didn't hurt to entertain the idea of what might happen if she did.
They might even be helpful and supportive… if she asked them.
Anoel eventually set her bowl down at the table, sitting across from Kitsuki and just around the corner from Arex's own chair.
Kit was just finishing her food, idly reading something on her own scroll.
"So, did you bring swimwear?" Ano asked, lifting up a steaming spoonful of curry before her mouth as she glanced at Arex.
The girl just looked confused for a few seconds before shaking her head, Kit's attention drawing into the conversation now too. "Were we supposed to?"
"Of course," Ano replied. "Didn't you notice the pool on the balcony?" She almost seemed playfully judgy at Arex not noticing the body of water she landed next to when flying over.
She really hadn't noticed. "No, I was more worried about you. I didn't know we'd be able to use it, either."
Ano narrowed her gaze as she swallowed her steamy bite, something Arex always found herself a little envious of.
Anoel could heat and drink hot substances with ease, but for some reason, Arex had a sensitive case of cat's tongue.
And by that, she reeled at anything overly hot in her mouth. Especially coffee or tea.
She just couldn't drink it while it was that hot.
It was cruelly ironic, too. Because she was fireproof.
"Hey, GHOST?" Anoel asked playfully, eyeing Arex's scroll with a coy grin. "I want you to schedule something for tomorrow. Ly should take Arex and Kit somewhere."
The AI's blue avatar appeared on the mahogany table with her hands loosely hanging by her sides. "Certainly, what'll it be?"
"Would you mind helping Ly take the two of them shopping?" Ano asked with a forming grin, ignoring Arex's gaze snapping back to her. "They're in need of some swimsuits. Bikinis would be nice. Find them something cute."
"I can do that, there are a lot of clothing stores around here, prepping for the summer with new stock. Wouldn't be too hard for them to find some of that description," GHOST happily responded, flashing a small smile.
"Perfect," Ano replied back, scooping up another steaming bite of curry as she gave Arex a toothy grin.
Arex was still just balking at her in her silent fuming state of embarrassment, face reddening beneath Ano's gaze. S-She'd never worn something like that before.
"I imagine that'd be extremely uncomfortable. Pinning them tight like that."
A new voice piped in from behind Arex as they heard shuffling on the couch. A soft weight settling on the corner bend.
Arex's eyes turned to where Anoel's gaze was peering to meet a pair of reflective copper pools peeking from behind the cushions, flanked by a pair of delicate hands.
Seyda was still here?
"Keeping what pinned?" Arex asked confusedly. She felt like she was asking a lot of questions today.
"Your wings. Wearing a swimsuit would pin them against your body," the girl replied pointedly.
"Hence why she should just get a two-piece," Anoel cut in, watching as Arex's gaze flicked back and forth between the two of them.
Arex's eyes eventually landed on Kit, who seemed more interested in her reactions than the prospect of getting a bikini.
She was never bothered by any of this…
"I-I guess it would," Arex eventually replied, casting her gaze back to Seyda peering over the couch. "I've never really had to wear a swimsuit before, so I wouldn't know."
"A two-piece suit would prevent constriction, though I can see wings as large as yours making swimming difficult, due to the weight and drag," Seyda replied as her thick, bushy tail curled up from behind her.
That seemed to be the only thing that suddenly dragged Kit's attention away from Arex. The girl's eyes always homed in on anything soft and fluffy.
But still, Arex found herself struggling to refute what Seyda said. "Swimming's just never been my thing. I'm fine with sitting around in a private pool or warm spring, just as long as I don't have to worry about moving around too much."
The beach was a whole other story altogether. Aside from most of them being public beaches, places where Arex's anxiety was more than enough to hold her back, she also couldn't imagine what it felt like to have sand stuck in her wings for days after coming back from it.
"There's always the jacuzzi," Seyda suggested in return, tail idly swaying behind her. "Perfect if you just wanna soak in the warm water. Problem is, Ly hasn't turned the heaters on, so it'd take a while for the water to heat up."
Kit was still mesmerized by the girl's tail.
Something Arex noticed.
A jacuzzi sounded really nice, actually. "That's fine. We don't exactly have our swimsuits right now anyway, and we're probably not going to get them until some time tomorrow."
"I've already ordered some," GHOST cut in. "Six pairs for you to choose from, various designs."
"Awe, and here I was thinking Ly could embarrass Arex all day on a shopping trip," Anoel complained humorously, eyeing the holographic projection of GHOST on the table before smiling. "Thank you. But why wait? Not having a swimsuit has never stopped me from having a dip."
Arex just stared in disbelief again as Ano cast her a deliberately teasing glance.
"The water will still be cold though," Seyda pointed out. "Also, G? How long has Argent been asleep?"
"3 hours," The AI responded evenly, receiving a sigh of annoyance in return as the girl pouted against the cushion she rested her head on.
"Great. I have to wait for another 4 hours before we can do something."
That caught Arex's attention. "Do you two work at night?"
"We're nocturnal. It's actually really late for me right now, but I wanna wait for Ray," Seyda replied with a nod, switching her gaze to the phoenix. "And Argent sleeps like a brick, so he won't wake up until it's exactly 4 hours from now."
That… actually made some sense. But Arex found herself nodding in return to that, setting her spoon down in her mostly finished bowl. "What do you two do, anyway? For Sentinel?"
"Well… I'm responsible for scouting missions and generic recon stuff, but Argent?" The girl turned her gaze to GHOST, silently asking for assistance.
"Argent does… well, everything else, he's the Ray of field missions," GHOST explained hesitantly, seemingly not sure herself.
"Yeah… he's a really unique individual… but I love him anyway," Seyda added, smiling a little.
It really did sound like Sentinel was a tight family of unique individuals. It just… made it feel all the more intimidating to know they had an interest in her joining them.
"From what I saw, he seems more than capable on the field," Arex said, bringing her drifted gaze back to Seyda.
"Argent and Ray have been doing this stuff for years, I don't think I've seen anyone else who works as efficiently as they do, definitely something worth watching," Seyda spoke with a small flutter of happiness in her tone. "They basically wrote the book for field ops."
"I… actually really do want to see them work, it's just…" Arex trailed off again, hating how every time she got close to even thinking about Sentinel's invitation for her, she just cowered back away from it altogether.
She suddenly didn't really feel like finishing the rest of her food, so she slid her bowl away from her. A silent signal for her partner, considering Kit glanced back to it and casually took it for herself.
"Ray's given you an open invitation, you know, but it's your decision at the end of the day. I know that if I'd refused the offer, I wouldn't be nearly as good with a rifle as I am now," Seyda spoke nonchalantly, turning herself around on the couch to stretch her lithe frame.
Arex knew it would be good for her to join, but she hated the thought of possibly holding them back with her own problems.
Her anxiety was one of the major ones. It wasn't something she could easily get over.
"I know he has," Arex replied quietly, leaning over her scroll as she rested her arms on the table in front of her. "I just don't know what to do about it, or how you'd all take it if I actually did join."
"No differently than we did with Sam and Avery I suppose…" Seyda replied simply, turning her body back around to her original position.
The only dots that were left in the city were Pyro and Knox, so Arex knew it was probably just those two. But she didn't know which was which.
"Avery sucked at semblance control, and couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with her hand cannons. It was actually funny when Ray threw her in a training hall and sent a bunch of robots to chase after her with her goal being to destroy them all. Sam didn't agree with that too much though..."
Arex slowly brought her gaze back to Seyda as she spoke, slim fingers grasping distractedly at her scroll as she slowly tipped it around in her hands.
"Was she comfortable using her semblance at all?" Arex asked, hoping to find just a little confidence in its answer.
Seyda giggled at the question, "Oh hell no, the poor girl was too scared to touch anyone and anything in fear of melting right through it."
Arex bit her lip at that, dropping her gaze again as her fidgeting hands grew still. "How did she… get over that?"
"Well… there were two methods Ray proposed, one gentle and one extreme, to help her get over her fears," Seyda explained carefully. "The first was to make her hold an ice cube, between her thumb and index finger, if she melted through it quicker than it would normally, she failed, but she ended up turning each one into steam the second she touched them."
Seyda shuffled toward the phoenix a little before continuing. "Ray's other method was to make her hang from a metal bar suspended in the air, forcing her to take control over her semblance or else she'd fall into freezing water. Definitely a scary thought, but it wasn't without safety precautions. Tell you what though, she very quickly got ahold of herself then."
Arex… didn't like the sound of that. She actually kind of paled a little in response to it. "B-But it worked in the end?"
Seyda nodded fervently, "Oh yeah, we ended up throwing her items to catch without her turning them into molten slag, plus I don't think I've ever seen her smile more when she finally got to hug Sam."
"That… sounds nice…" Arex spoke quietly, finally setting her scroll down to rest her hands on the table. "I've honestly been hesitant to join. You all seem so much more capable than I am. And I don't think I'd be able to get over my own fear as easily as Avery did… I want to, but I don't think I'll be able to."
"I didn't say it was easy for her… Ray spent 3 months helping her break out of her bubble. Hell, he spent a year training me how to use my rifle…" Seyda clarified, shaking her head a little. "He takes our personal progression very seriously. He's a good mentor when he wants to be."
Arex was still afraid to try though. And she was even more afraid to admit that fact. "Do you think... he'd be able to help someone... who's too afraid to let her fire move even an inch into the air in front of her in fear of losing control of it?"
"I'm not going to say it'd be an easy task for him to help with that, but I've known him since we were twelve and can tell you, with 100% certainty, that he wouldn't give up until he's successful."
So… she really would just be holding him back if she couldn't get over her own fear.
Arex's gaze slowly lowered again as Anoel stood from the table, the woman silently looking between her sister and Seyda on the couch before gathering the empty bowls around her.
"Sentinel's entire moral code is built on helping people less fortunate than others improve themselves, mind, body, and spirit. If you think Ray would quit on someone who wants to get better, you'd be very mistaken," Seyda's voice was soft as she gazed at Arex's downturned face. "Nothing is more important to him than the welfare of the people that work for him."
Arex's chin only dipped lower as she dropped her gaze to her lap.
"You know, Arex," Anoel cut in, stacking Kitsuki's bowls beneath her own as she started making her way to the dishwasher in the kitchen. "There's a reason why I haven't been trying so hard to help you get over that fear anymore."
Her younger sister's eyes quietly made their way up to her own as she placed the dishes in, the quiet clasp of the dishwasher door shutting filling the silence that followed.
"You're afraid that you'll hurt someone you care about again. That's something I can't help you with," Anoel stated bluntly, making her way back to the table to stand at the opposite end her sister resided. "You can't hurt me. Even if you tried. You need to be working with someone you can, or you'll never gain any real control over your affinity."
Arex shied away from the words, gaze breaking from Ano's again as she lowered it back to the table.
She'd always found Anoel a nice safety net to fall back into…
Was it really so wrong… to want to train with someone she couldn't accidentally hurt?
Whelp, some of you actually wanted an omake. So, that's down below this AN. It's my first one and I doubt it'll be as good as the ones made in Professor Arc, but I figured it'd be fun for the time being. Besides, I think I need to find my own style for these anyway.
As for this chapter, if you haven't noticed, Arex has a lot of anxiety boiling inside her. Especially in terms of social situations. Enough so that she'll actually lock up and break down if she's in them alone, and will still do so to a slightly lesser extent even if she's with someone else anyway. It's something that's always plagued her from her past.
Kit was the only reason why she actually managed to not only get to the car, but climb inside it too. Considering Kit pulled her along for the ride and controlled her every anxious step, it was a shock to see that Arex even made it to the car without freezing up entirely.
It's a trade-off between the two.
With how much Arex takes care of Kit in all other scenarios, Kit returns the favor when Arex wants to break down. It's one of the reasons why their partnership completes each other as characters. Among other reasons.
Anyway, the omake below is non-canon. So, it's really only there for humor purposes only.
For now, Favorite and Follow.
I look forward to seeing REVIEWS for this. You'll be introduced to a LOT of concepts of mine. Feel free to give me your thoughts.
Cya XP
Omake: by Xera Stark
Arex rushed through the air as fast as she could, burning the clouds in her wake like a blaze setting fire to fields of herded sheep. She needed to hurry.
She had to go fast.
Kit sent her one word in a text, the only word strong enough to make her fly this fast as she clutched the device tightly between her two hands.
'help'
It drove her mad. One simple word echoed in her head, and the spark of one message littered her mind with countless horrible scenarios that could've been happening.
Quinn could've gotten to Beacon first. The man working with Quinn could've taken her there too, or arrived there himself.
Hell, if they both were there…
Was Arex just flying straight into another trap?
She didn't care. She couldn't care. Kit was probably being mercilessly tortured right now, and Arex was going to be too late to stop it.
The clouds below seemed to part just as Arex sped up, the wall of her dorm's windows down on campus glimmering into view as she dove through the opening in the sky.
A hellfire blaze shrouded her form as she plummeted and almost shattered the glass of the windows around her, plowing to a stop just outside before crashing into the carpet of her room.
Her sweater sizzled and smoked as she rolled to a crouch, eyes glancing down to find Kit's boots still where she always left them.
They took her… they had to have taken her-
A soft, almost silent pat of a tail against a bed dully echoed through her ears in the silence of the room.
Arex quickly shot up onto her feet and whipped around, eyes catching the glint of Kit's scroll laid loosely on a black bed before those eyes caught sight of her partner lying limp on its mattress.
N-No…
Before she could so much as move, a soft pur emanated through the room and Arex's gaze finally tracked up to see why Kit's head was raised ever so slightly.
It rested on someone's lap.
And the poor phoenix almost collapsed at seeing the almost gentle face of Niro staring down at her partner. His eyes bore into the kitsune with a neutral interest, and his hands were busily scratching at the bases of Kit's ears.
Arex couldn't help it. She collapsed to her knees at the sight, confusion overtaking her overbearing worry in the blink of an eye to suck the breath out of her on-sight, a breath that turned her legs to lead.
Kit looked like she was at a cross between feeling the heavenly bliss of an ear massage and squirming under the fiery hell of being in the clutches of a demon.
She couldn't figure out if she should feel relaxed or anxious…
But the soft thud of Arex's knees hitting the ground brought a piercing lime green gaze up to meet her wide eyes, the phoenix's body locking up under the gleaming irises pointed at her.
Even so, his fingers never stopped playing with Kit's ears.
"You. Saw. Nothing."
Arex just squeaked and fell over, too shocked to even try to respond to that.