Jinx hadn't come to school yet, and it had been several days. Lux tried not to let it bug her too much, because Janna had mentioned that all Star Guardians get forcefully summoned when they are needed, so if anything happened, Jinx would have to show up.
Lux heard a groan from behind her, and she noticed that her science teacher, Professor Vayne, had made her way into the room. She was strict, disliked children and set a lot of homework. Not very well liked by her students, but she couldn't care less.
She taught because she thought everyone should be educated to eradicate fools, and science was, in her eyes, the most important subject. She lectured on physics, chemistry and biology, overloading everyone's brains every lesson.
"Today we're going to be studying Newton's 3 Laws." Professor Vayne stated, turning around to begin writing formulas and notes on the blackboard.
Lux pulled out her pastel yellow science notebook, clicking her pen and copying down notes almost as fast as Professor Vayne could write them. She disliked science, but fitting in was such as important role that she couldn't just skip classes. Besides, she was a good student, and assured herself that her life would be enriched by scientific knowledge, whether her life as a Star Guardian required it or not.
The rest of the lesson was filled with sleeping teenagers and whispered complaints. Lux was more than happy for the bell to ring, signalling the end of the day. Gathering up her things, she waited for homeroom to end, then raced to her locker to collect her things. Today, she was going to train with the Star Guardians for the first time.
As she entered the school gym, the doors closed and locked with a small click. The rest of her team were standing inside. Lux finally noticed small, furry creatures hovering beside Lulu and Janna.
"Hey," She said, cheerfully but with a hint of nervousness.
Before she had time to ask, Lulu jumped in with the explanation of her furry friend. "This is Pix!" She grinned. "He's a fae spirit and he helps with my magic!"
Lux walked over and lifted an arm towards the white creature, who instantly jumped into her palm, curious eyes looking up at her. Lux noted how cute and playful he was, and how he seemed the opposite of malicious.
After a short moment, Lulu reached up and plucked him from Lux's grasp, giving him a small hug before letting him rest on her shoulder.
Lux turned to Janna, who had been watching on in silence. "Is yours a fae spirit, too?"
Janna shook her head. "It's a wind spirit, actually."
Lux asked what its name was, but got back an odd reply. "It doesn't have a name. Why personify things when it only makes them harder to lose?"
The pink-haired girl had no response, but wondered how horrific Janna's past must have been.
"Anyway, can we train now?" Poppy asked impatiently, breaking through the silence.
Janna's response was to send her wind spirit crashing into the yordle with a nonchalant wave of her hand, who barely kept herself from falling to the ground. Janna's transformation time was incredibly fast.
With a grin, Poppy transformed and lifted her hammer, twirling it effortlessly around in her hand like a pen. "Let's go."
Explosions of magic soon followed. Poppy engaged with Janna and her wind spirit, sending blue light from her hammer in their direction. Janna deflected with a flick of her staff and the resulting whirlwind that followed.
After Poppy sent a blue star flying through said whirlwind, Janna fully turned towards her, her interest finally caught. "You're good," she mused. "That's good."
They continued to fight. Lulu, however, was off in her own world with Pix, exploring her own techniques. Green light and bright stars flew around her in various formations, before she finally began to engage in combat.
"Come on, Lux! Let's try out all our magic!" She smiled brightly and sincerely.
Lux transformed, reaching up into the air above her head, where her baton shimmered into existence. With a grin, she sent brilliant pink light towards the green-haired yordle, who used a complicated array of moves and sparkling stars to dodge and deflect.
They practiced for hours, Janna and Poppy relentlessly throwing attacks at each other that never hit. They were both too skilled. Janna too experienced, and Poppy much too determined.
Lux and Lulu, however, used the training period to explore their abilities in a less violent way, and a more skill-based way. Magically-generated targets and team-based goals helped the two to really understand their potential.
After a while, Poppy was finally hurt. Sliced in the arm by a sharp shot of wind, she gritted her teeth, biting back the pain and growling as she ran towards Janna for the millionth time, using a powerful technique for the first time and smashing through Janna's leg.
The purple-haired girl cried out, placing herself in a protective mini-tornado that begun healing her instantly.
Lux and Lulu stopped instantly at the sound, and Poppy stood in shock. She hadn't expected to actually hurt the veteran Star Guardian.
Janna stepped through the tornado, letting it dissipate behind her. "That was really good, Poppy. You're very strong."
The blue-haired yordle's jaw dropped. She'd just hurt her teammate, and was being praised for it?
Janna stepped forward and ruffled her hair, offering her a small grin of approval. Looking up towards the others, remnants of her grin lingering in her eyes, Janna asked Lux if she thought the team was ready to stop training for the night.
Momentarily having forgotten she was the leader, not the purple-haired girl, Lux blinked before nodding. "Yeah, I think everyone did really well. Maybe we should train again next week?"
Janna nodded. "Alright, thank you."
Poppy covered the cut on her arm, before Janna turned back to her and waved a soft puff of wind over it, swirling around the wound and clearing it up. "Sorry," she muttered.
Poppy gave a triumphant smile. "Yeah, it's fine. I hit you way harder back."
Janna smiled softly again. "Yes, you did." She transformed gently back into her regular clothes, the wind spirit flying off into nothingness. Poppy threw her hammer up in the air, spinning it and letting it burst into a small ball of light, taking away the magic around the yordle and leaving her back in her school uniform.
Lulu gave Pix a squeeze before letting jump into the air and sing a short, high-pitched note before disappearing. Lulu brushed her hands over her uniform, then hugged herself. She was already missing her magic, and her friend.
Lux spun around in a circle, flinging her baton upwards, watching it shimmer into nothingness as it fell back towards her head. She felt all her magic being contained within her, slowing to a stop and placing a raised foot back on the ground, her school shoe loudly clicking on the ground rather than her Star Guardian boot.
Picking up her discarded schoolbag, she led her friends out of the gym and towards their shared house.
A/N: As usual, please leave thoughts, comments and constructive criticism in a review, and thanks for reading. Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I'm glad people are enjoying it. Special thanks to those who favourited/followed :D