Lazula's private gym was exactly as she had left it. Stepping into it again and taking in its crisp, purified air, she was reminded of the days leading up to the tournament, when she looked forward to coming back to her own gym. Sentinel's SFC was a fine alternative. It was the size of three of her personal facilities stacked on top of each other, and had more to offer. But nothing quite beat a track, exercise room, sparring court, and hot tub; all completely private, all in her own home.
She tightened the last strap on her second boot, and brought it to the ground to stand square and look herself in the mirror. Tunic, pants, boots, cape, and scuffed armor. The outfit she had worn so many times before felt alien on her- scratchy, and tighter than she remembered.
She'd have to wash it all. It still smelled like smoke.
With a breath to compose herself, she opened her weapon case. Aegis and Impetus bathed in the light above, shimmering blue and gold reflecting back upon the skin of her hands. First, Aegis. Lazula pulled the shield from its spot, securing the four straps that kept it bound to her arm. She hoisted it up to feel its familiar weight, and lowered it, looking to Impetus.
As soon as she saw the hilt of her weapon in her hand, felt its soft leather grip against her skin, she was back on Seacrest Bridge. The inferno burst into the sky before her, and she once again heard the screams of the ones she couldn't save; the Beithyr wheezing as its soulless sockets stared her down.
The clatter of Impetus on the ground brought Lazula back to her gym. She looked at the fallen weapon for several seconds.
Lazula eased the budding tension in her shoulders with a deep breath, and grasped Impetus's handle once again.
Caspian had seen Mistral in pictures and on film, but not until the Whale-Class airship lowered toward downtown did he realize just how different it was from Port Cyrreine. The city was built onto the tallest peak of a lush mountain range, and though Summer was in full swing, a stony mist swirled around it. The mist settled on the curved roofs of dark wood and stone that capped the buildings carved into the hill's face. On top of it all, the grand central building of Haven Academy rested between two staggering green spires.
Inside the airport, Caspian couldn't decide if the world felt even more or less foreign to him. The buzzing swarm of travelers was much like the city he left, and hard-light boards kept account of each flight. But while the airport of Port Cyrreine was a world of smooth white walls, Mistral's airport looked ancient in comparison. The high ceiling was held up by black pillars ringed with gold decals, and instead of curving stark white walls lit up by all manner of advertisements and displays, the walls were a somber deep brown wood.
Caspian continued through the crowd, excitement growing with each step toward the platform he and Cattelya agreed upon. He was in his best clothes- a blue button down tucked into cuffed khakis, and even wore a bit of cologne. The good stuff- judging by the price, at least. He felt a bit silly, as he hadn't worn it ever before, but wanted to go all out for the first time seeing his girlfriend in nearly a month.
He spotted her instantly among the crowd.
Magenta hair, silky and straight. A bit tall. The perfect height to look just slightly down into her eyes when he held her.
"Cat!" Caspian called out.
Her smile on seeing him made it all worth the wait.
He jogged up to her, regard for others' judgement all but cast to the street. He wrapped her in his arms and felt her lips on his, before pulling away to look in her eyes. Grey, seeming to swirl with Mistral's alluring fog.
"I missed you," Caspian finally spoke.
"I missed you too, Caspian. How have you been?"
"I've been good! Vacation was a whole lot of fun." He shrugged with a furtive look. "I tried to call you, but I don't think they went through..."
"Aw, they didn't!" Cattleya responded. "I didn't hear a thing all week!"
Cattleya's house looked much like the others built in traditional Mistrali fashion, but bigger. The dark supporting beams matched the frame of each dim window, and stuck out in beautiful contrast to the pale face across the rest of her home. Caspian dropped his things off in the living room, noting its atmosphere of antique luxury. The couch was the same designer brand as the one in his own living room, Cattleya's tables and cabinets aged mahogany. A vase nearly as tall as he sat in the corner; black stone with a gilded dragon breathing flame.
They continued through the living room and straight to the back deck. Caspian had to pause for a second to take in the unique beauty of the city; unlike anything he had seen in Vale. The view of Mistral's roads crossing the hill's face and lined with houses that looked like works of art. Rivers flowing through the city and pooling up at the base of waterfalls. Nature and humanity, existing in even part.
Yet, partly concealed by the mist below, cracked streets and run-down homes stretched out in a vast slum at the base of the hill.
"Is your family around?" Caspian asked. He hoped his curiosity didn't come across in another way.
"Nope. It's just me here." Cattleya sighed. "Both my parents are off at work, they won't be back until late. Same tomorrow, and the next day..."
"Tomorrow?" Caspian asked. "But it's your birthday."
"I know."
Caspian shook his head, taking in the view. Through his childhood, at least, his own parents went out of their ways to make Lazula and his birthdays as special as possible. To him, a birthday was a holiday. The fact her parents treated it like any other workday, that they couldn't be bothered to even check in, made him feel a little sick.
"You know what?" Caspian declared. Cattleya looked uncertain as he suddenly held her hands in his. "Tomorrow, I'm going to do everything I can to give you the best birthday you've ever had."
He felt Cattleya's hands grab his own a little tighter.
"Thank you, Caspian."
Caspian spent any spare time away from Cattleya that night giving himself a virtual tour of the city and familiarizing himself with potential date spots. He never met her parents that night, though by the way Cattleya spoke about them, he wasn't sure he expected to in the first place. The door opening and shutting twice was the only indication they had ever returned.
The next morning, Caspian tried his best at cooking breakfast for the two of them, before they got prepared for the day and set out for a light lunch at a cafe next to Mistral's most famous park. Trees enclosed the lake that snaked around the acres of trails and greenery. Caspian wished for a second he could have seen them in Spring, when their plush blossoms fell like snow to the surface of the lake.
"Can you row? I don't think I'm dressed right for this."
She wasn't. The tight and short sleeveless dress looked amazing on her, but wasn't practical for any form of exertion. Caspian agreed, and grabbed the traditional wooden oars mounted at the side of their boat. At first, rowing was easy enough. But after about a minute, the nagging burn in his arms spread to his chest. Maybe pulling themselves out to the middle of the lake and floating around for a bit would do.
Once a good distance out, Caspian placed the oars on their rack and shook his arms out a bit. "Have you heard about what's been happening back at school?"
"No, is it more about the Red Claw?"
"No, or at least, I don't think so..." Caspian answered. "People have been turning up dead, just outside their work in the morning. Seems like the same person's been doing it."
"Oh... that's scary. Stay safe over there..."
"We aren't!" Caspian joked. "I mean- we are. But we're also trying to figure out who the guy is."
"That's... not a good idea, Caspian," Cattleya warned. "You should just lay low, and let the police do their job."
"You sound like Snow right now," Caspian replied with a chuckle. "We're safe so far. We're going to avoid a direct confrontation with the guy if we ever find him, I'm sure."
"Who is 'we,' by the way?"
"Oh, it's just the regular crew," Caspian assured. "Me, Rowan, Ichigo, Snow, and Moka."
Cattleya leaned back and crossed her arms. "Moka, huh?"
"Y-Yeah, why?"
Cattleya's eyes narrowed. "Just make sure none of your friends get too close to her. She'd cheat on them the second another guy looked her way."
Caspian opened his mouth with the beginnings of a protest. Moka was his friend, and if it wasn't for her, he'd probably have been crushed to death on that cargo ship.
"Best birthday ever," he reminded himself, biting back his retort. "Not going to start anything today."
Cattleya's home was well within walking distance, and the two returned home as the last hour of the day faded. They returned to the back deck with a bottle of wine Cattleya's parents allegedly wouldn't miss. Feeling the air begin to cool, Caspian leaned on the railing and looked out across the city of Mistral. He turned his gaze toward Cattleya, whose face took on the light of sunset. "...Your parents still aren't home, are they?"
She looked wistfully downcast. Her eyes flitted downward, off her deck. "Nope."
Caspian shook his head. "I don't get it. Why is work more important than their own daughter?" he grumbled.
Cattleya turned toward him fully, leaning on the railing and looking him in the eye. "Now, you've seen my house, my clothes, everything," she mumbled. "It seems like my family lives a life of luxury, but... it's all a lie."
"...Oh."
"When I was young, we really did live like this. My mom was the go-to female lead in the opera. My dad was a playwright, whose works have been performed in every kingdom. We had money and fame, but it didn't last. My mom was notorious for doing whatever she could to get ahead of other actresses, the women she only ever called her 'competition.' And, one day, someone did the same to her. They both were disgraced, extorted, blacklisted- stripped of everything they had built." Cattleya looked across her sweeping view of Mistral, before her eyes settled on the darkness underneath the mist. "Now, my parents are working themselves to death to make sure we don't end up down there."
"I... I'm sorry." Caspian moved forward to hold her, and she let him.
"As a kid it seemed like I'd follow along in my mom's footsteps. But, that's just not an option anymore. She decided for me that I'd be sent off to Sentinel, after seeing all the publicity PHL- even some Academy League huntsmen, get. But now, a year in I realize it's so much harder than I expected. I just feel like... with all these expectations on me I just don't know what to do anymore. I need to get in touch with someone who knows about the huntsman leagues, but..."
Caspian picked up on her hint, though he almost wish he hadn't. Something about asking his sister a favor made him feel sick to his stomach.
"I... I know someone," he offered. His confidence faltered with each following word. "I can... ask Lazula if she knows anyway to help..."
Cattleya turned to him with a new hope glimmering in her eye. "Oh, thank you, Caspian! Thank you so much!" she practically leapt at him, giving the tightest hug he could remember. "Wanna go back inside? I think I'd like to warm up."