"I really wish they'd mind their own business." Darren grumbled into Chrona's hair.
Chrona laughed, just enjoying that this was all in good fun. They were safe, that was all that mattered.
"Hey, we can hear you!"
Darren snorts. "Good, then mind your own damn business."
"Enough." Kid says "What's the verdict?"
"Chrona and I are in the clear and I'll be staying here with them until my place is fixed. Though, honestly, I think it's just a convenience so that I can have an eye kept on me."
"That a problem?" Kid asks.
"Not really, I just don't tend to sleep well in weird places." He says pulling Chrona to him "Hopefully you can get me through the night."
Chrona, too embarrassed, can do nothing but blush at the insinuation.
"Good, then let's get to class." Maka states "We're already late."
They all walk down the halls in companionable silence wondering how class was going to go. Would Stein push through the regular lesson and hope Darren kept up or would he make a spectacle of Darren's initiation? Everyone had their theories and hopes, but no one was prepared for what was already taking place in the classroom.
"Ah, there you guys are." Stein says from his place at the front of the room "You weren't that far behind me. What took you so long?"
They were all too shocked to answer, seeing as the room had been turned into a circuit space with all the meisters and weapons split up across the room. Except for Darren of course.
"They were all nosy as fuck trying to get me to tell them what happened."
Instead of reprimanding him like everyone expected, Stein merely laughs.
"I'm sure they did," he finally says "Now split up, except you Darren, come here."
Everyone moves into place while Darren walks confidently to Stein's side. He smiles cheekily at the teacher whose smile back is just as unsettling. He holds out his hand.
"Would you mind changing for me, Darren?"
Darren's smile widens before doing as the professor said. In a moment, gone is Darren, and in Stein's hand lay a revolver. Stein inspects him, looking him over as if considering whether he was worth buying. Then without any warning Stein fires off a few test shots, causing various students to scatter from their spots in the room to avoid being hit.
"What the hell man, you trying to kill us?!" Soul snaps.
"Very nice." Stein says completely ignoring everyone else in favor of continuing to examine Darren "How about your ability to resonate?"
Just like that energy beings to swell in the room as Stein and Darren start resonating their souls together. The power is heady, but nothing that anyone in the room hasn't already been exposed to. They stop and the professor asks Darren to change back.
"Good, I think you'll find little trouble playing catch up," Stein says "Now join everyone else."
Darren finds his way to weapon side of the room before Stein begins his real explanation.
"Now that, that's settled, today will be a bit of an ice breaker," He smirks "As far as all of you are concerned, for today, your partners are no longer your partners. You will all be participating in a bit of a 'free-for-all' practice. There are various set ups around the room, pair up with someone not your partner and play scrimmages against other classmates. We want to give Darren a feel for compatibility, teamwork, and who knows, maybe I'll even end up switching some people."
The fear that struck into some pairs was palpable, he couldn't really split up established teams, right? He laughs ferociously just soaking in all the anxiety and worry, they really were too easy to mess with sometimes. He throws himself into his rolling chair which is placed as a throne before the arenas. He turns his gear and stares at them all.
"Well what are you waiting for? Get to it!" He says finally.
They once again scatter and do as their told, pairing up with classmates familiar and not. Kid, ever curious and vigilant when it comes to threats, decides to pair with Darren first. It takes all his will power not to make one of the girls stay as a balancer. He's rather proud really. He makes small talk, being the most amicable he's ever been if he does say so himself. Darren, however, couldn't care less. He knew him and Chrona were meant to be, so this was really all just semantics. He would play Stein's game, but that didn't mean he was going to have fun and get all buddy-buddy with these people. Kid could be as friendly as he wanted, he wasn't getting shit out of Darren.
And so, the battles went, nothing too impressive considering how out of their element everyone was, but good efforts none the less. Stein was enjoying watching them struggle, truly, but he also enjoyed watching Darren try to hold back his real skills. The boy was certainly capable of much more, but he had appearances to keep for a certain someone. A certain someone who was not enjoying this exercise at all. They were stressed and had just about had it with all this unfamiliarity, when they finally ran into each other.
"Hey there stranger," Darren jokes "Wanna be my partner?"
Chrona nods vigorously, they were so happy to finally have Darren next to them again.
"Hey, can we get this over with already?" Soul shouts from the other side of the arena.
"Eager to get your ass beat?"
"Not likely."
Kid whispers something into Soul's ear, before they enter the arena together. Darren follows in soon after, not liking where this is going. Chrona not far behind.
"You ready?" he asks Chrona before shifting.
"Y-yeah." Chrona answers, unable to keep the doubt out of their voice.
Not that he needed the indicator, Darren could feel Chrona shaking just from the way they held him. The tremors subtle, but there.
"You are familiar with guns, right Chrona?"
Dead silence.
"Ok, look, breathe, it's simple." Darren tries to explain "Just aim, pull the trigger, and let me handle the rest, ok?"
"Ok."
"We're supposed to be having fun," he reminds Chrona "it's not a real fight."
"I know, but I feel bad, I don't like fighting friends." They whine.
"It's just a friendly scrimmage Chrona." Kid assures "We'll even go easy you."
"Speak for yourself." Soul scoffs before changing "I'm gonna wreck this guy."
With that the fight began and Chrona wasn't holding together well at all. It seems guns were just truly not their forte. They kept trying however, slowly losing their concern over the fight and its gravity, but then it happens. Soul and Kid accidentally get a real hit on Chrona, causing them to bleed. Chrona didn't like that very much, neither did Darren. As if awakening a lost instinct, Chrona goes into a battle mode, and in his flux of power so too does Darren follow and change. Darren shifted from a revolver to a broadsword before their very eyes. Jewel encrusted and heavy, Darren's new form was daunting, but apparently not to Chrona, who started swinging him around with no sign of strain.
The two worked in perfect disharmony, it was almost frightening. Kid and Soul looked to Stein for help, but he himself was far too enraptured by the display that Darren and Chrona were putting on. They were magnificent. Far more entertaining than he was expecting. Realizing the professor was not going to help them, they too flew into survival mode and began giving their all. It was ruthless and intense, blow after blow parried until Kid and Soul finally found an opening. Seeing the two coming in for the strike, Chrona realized they were unfortunately wide open and the terror froze them.
Fear froze Darren as well. All Darren could think was that he would do anything to protect Chrona and like that a light shone from himself that he had never seen before. He was transforming yet again, for the third time today, and this time he came forth as a shield. The shock of such a defensive weapon seemed to catch everyone so off guard they all stepped back. Kid and Soul stopped as well, feeling they had more than proven their point. Chrona just sat in shock.
"Fascinating!"
And just like that Darren had been yanked from Chrona's hands by the professor who looked far too happy. The man kept looking him over as if he could find Darren's secrets in his frame work. Alas, Darren didn't much care for being examined so thoroughly and changed back pretty quickly.
"Don't get too handsy there professor, people might get the wrong idea."
Stein merely laughs "I must say you are far out doing my expectations Darren. I very much look forward to seeing how you and Chrona progress as a pair."
The two turn to each other in hope.
"So, were being paired together?" Chrona asks carefully.
"Can't imagine how else I'd do it, everyone else is very much taken."
Everyone who was silently scared of being reassigned let out a sigh, it was a joke, this time.
"Welcome to the class, again, Darren, and I hope you really flourish here. The data will be enlightening."
"We'll do our best professor." Darren says hugging with Chrona in excitement "We'll do our best."