While she might have been patient enough to let the other groups make the first move, the Purple Lightning wasn't going to give this team any chance to coordinate against her, instead opting to dart in to engage the trio before they could make a move. To their credit either they either expected the move or instinctively understood how best to respond to it. Laura moved to intercept, Rean circled around to assist from the flanks, and Fie vanished completely from her line of vision. Sara was still able to sense the former Zephyr member, but only just.
Having sparred against Liberl's Heavy Blade in the past, she knew just how inadvisable it was to block Laura's sword with her one-handed weapon, so instead she opted to utilize a little acrobatics and evaded the swing, using that momentum to block Rean's descending tachi strike instead. She was able to position herself so that the boy was between her and the Arseid practitioner in an attempt to delay her follow up attack. Sara had just made the move to target the male with her orbal gun when her instincts screamed at her to dodge.
Heeding those instincts, she leapt away from the others just in time to see Fie strike where she had previously been standing. If the youngest member was upset at her surprise attack failing she didn't show, instead opting to pursue their Instructor directly. That being said the bracer had a bigger fish to fry, as escaping from Rean's shadow meant she was back in Laura's sights Once again evading the Arseid greatsword, she countered with a quick kick that while doing little real damage was enough to drive the girl back.
Just in time too, as Fie was upon her. Only instead of attacking she darted off to the side... which revealed Rean who was in the same stance she had seen from Arios many times. Sara just managed to get her blade up to parry the expected Gale, before pivoting and blocking the twin strikes from Fie with her own dual weapons. With her superior strength she was able to push back Sylphid, earning her a brief respite.
Although only a few seconds had passed since the battle begun, the Purple Lightning was able to make a few observations. First, it appeared that her opponents had made the decision to forgo ranged combat entirely, instead opting to overwhelm her in melee. This made a lot of sense as while Fie was a skilled gunner, both Laura and Rean were limited in what they could do, so either Fie would have to risk firing into a melee brawl and risk hitting her teammates or get into a gunnery duel with the older woman, which almost certainly would have ended poorly for her.
The other thing she noticed was one of the main drawbacks of the ARCUS rearing it's ugly head. Unlike the other groups, this team only had three people so only a singular link could be maintained at one time. From what little of the battle had elapsed she could tell that they were performing admirably with their link, constantly swapping it to keep the immediate attackers linked for maximum effect. This, however, had a flaw, as active links were visible, so she could use them to keep tabs on the most imminent threats.
For example, right now Laura and Rean were linked, while Fie had gone back to seeking an opening. She danced between the two sword users, doing her best to prevent them from coordinating their strikes against her. A brief opening allowed her to turn her gun on Rean, forcing him off his feet as he awkwardly evaded her point-blank shot. Any thoughts on exploiting that opening, however, were dashed as Laura broke her link with the Eight Leaves student, which was a tell-tale sign that her young ward was making her strike. A quick spin aligned her with the lunging girl, who was forced to abort her attack as she faced a barrage of bullets from the spinning Instructor. Sara didn't finish her rotation until she was facing Laura, at which point she was forced to block the heavy blade, the impact driving her back an arge.
The shifting of the combat link informed her that Rean was back in the fight, so she wasn't surprised when her counterattack on the Arseid was interrupted by a strike from his eastern longsword. Like before, the maneuvered around her opponents so that Laura was between her and Rean, relying on her superior agility to prevent her from being double-teamed. Now with a few seconds of only facing a single foe, she did her best to blitz down Laura before the other two could assist. She partly succeeded, scoring a shallow hit on the girl and forcing her back, but it was nothing that would slow her down. And of course she was dissuaded from following up as the link with Laura ended and the two other opponents launched their own attacks.
Technically there were a few ways that she could have halted their momentum, but those were all tactics she learned from her days as a Northern Jaeger. Unfortunately, all of those tactics were rather extreme in nature, and while jaeger Sara wouldn't have hesitated to use them, bracer Sara and Instructor Sara both balked at any move that could end with the entire field in ruins and a dozen students crippled or killed. Thus, she resigned herself to remaining on the defensive, desperately seeking any opening from her relentless foes.
"Whoa...They're amazing!" Elliot gushed from the side as the rest of the Class watched the high speed battle taking place.
Gaius nodded in agreement. "Indeed. Despite being down a member they have kept up the momentum, like an unrelenting gale." Perhaps he should start doing a little extra spearmanship practice if this was the kind of results they had achieved?
"Guess all their super secret training wasn't just smoke." Despite his nonchalant attitude the second year joker was watching the battle very intently. After all there may come a time when...
"Still, despite being forced on the defensive Instructor Sara hasn't given them anything yet..."
Jusis scoffed. "Really, Regnitz? If that was you out there you would already be crying in the dirt. They should be commended for their improvements." The young Albarea's thoughts mirrored that of Gaius, as he had pride in his swordsmanship and didn't like the notion that he was falling behind and so resigned himself to the notion that he would have to up his own training if he ever wanted to close on his peers, let alone his brother.
"I already knew how good Laura and Fie were, but I wasn't expecting Rean to have gotten this much better..." Despite the praise, something about the fight bothered Alisa, but she couldn't quite understand what that was.
'I wonder if Celine is watching this...' Emma mused as she watched the battle with rapt interest. If their suspicions were correct and Rean was the one, this boded well for the trials to come.
Said Schwarzer narrowed his eyes in thought as he was forced back yet again. 'Something isn't right...' Sure, they all knew how skilled their adversary was, but her ability to respond seemed well beyond a keen sense. It was almost like she had some kind of foresight that allowed her to predict their actions.
It was when Fie swapped her combat link from him to Laura that Rean figured it out. Almost immediately after the link shifted the combat instructor also shifted her focus to the powerhouse of the trio, allowing her to avoid the heavy strike that followed. Not wanting to give away the fact that he had figured out the secret, he quickly rushed to reengage, acting as if nothing was unusual.
The moment to act arrived a few minutes later. He was currently linked with Laura as they engaged their foe together, with Fie seeking her opening, like a cat ready to pounce on it's prey. Sara sent a wild swing his way in an attempt to drive him away. Instincts screamed at him to dodge the blow, but instead he blocked it, allowing the force of the hit to knock him back a short distance. Enough to keep him still present in the fight, but just far enough away that he could carry out his plan.
He prematurely terminated the link with Laura. If the blue-haired girl was startled by the move, she didn't show it, instead she instinctively sought out a new partner; Fie. The younger girl was still a fair distance away, but the second the link formed the teacher's eyes widened a fraction and she turned in a panic to face the threat she hadn't sensed coming. What she discovered... was nothing. Realizing the deception, she did her best to recover, but the opening had already been made.
Seeing the brief opening, Rean rushed forward, blade alight in flames. To her credit, Sara responded as best she could, forming a cross with both of her weapons in an attempt to block his strongest attack. Unfortunately, flat-footed as she was, the force of the blow shattered her guard and sent her flying away. After ungracefully hitting the ground and rolling some distance she made a move to quickly regain her feet, but found herself staring down the twin barrels of a pair of gunblades.
"Well damn." She muttered as she signaled her surrender. While the other groups had secured the win by getting a clean hit on her, this was the only group to truly defeat her. While she was still far above each of them individually, the fact that the three of them could beat her so decisively was nothing short of impressive, even if she had been suppressing her more jaeger-like instincts.
After pulling herself to her feet, the Purple Lightning made a show of brushing dirt off her outfit before turning to address the three. "So obviously you three pass. Needless to say I am impressed at how well you worked together. You covered each other extremely well. And good observation skills, Rean. I didn't think any of you would notice what I was doing, let alone use it against me like that."
Being subjected to ten curious stares was enough to make the young noble feel self-conscious, so he did his best to explain what he saw.
"I see." Laura muttered. "So when you prematurely broke your link with me..." She trailed off.
With Fie finishing her thoughts."...You knew she would link with me instead, tricking Sara into thinking I was about to attack."
The Instructor clapped her hands once, causing the students to refocus on her. "Anyways. I'm really impressed at how far you've all come. Now I can tell you where you're headed for your field studies without any worries." Her words caused the members of Class VII to perk up. Thanks to the exciting duel they had completely forgotten about the field study. And this one was especially important as the festival meant there was no field study the next month.
As usual, Sara pulled out a folder full of papers from... somewhere, and handed one to each of the students. Eagerly, they scanned the document to see where they would be headed.
[Field Study: September]
Group A: Rean, Alisa, Fie, Machias, Elliot, Crow (Study Location: Roer, The Industrial Metropolis)
Group B: Emma, Laura, Jusis, Gaius, Millium (Study Location: Ordis, The Port City)
While some of the members were impressed at the fact that they were going to two of the Empire's largest cities, everyone except the girl in question was at least somewhat concerned about the fact that they were sending Millium into the stronghold of the Noble Faction. Sara's halfhearted attempt to quell their fears accomplished absolutely nothing, but without any real authority in the matter the group had no option but to accept the decision.
With the practical exam concluded and the field study revealed the class returned to the school to continue their day. Of course only the most studious of the group were all that interested in mundane lessons when the festival and field study were on their minds, something which earned them the ire of the Vice-Principal when he caught them constantly not paying attention in his class.
As usual, at the end of homeroom the eleven members of Class VII gathered, forming a semi-circle around Rean's desk. There they discussed matters relating to the field studies, the practical exam, and of course the upcoming festival.
"It's pretty fortunate that Rean, Crow, and I are on the same team this month. Hopefully we have enough free time to figure out what roles everyone can fill." The musician noted.
"And I will create a costume for the ladies that will get all the guys and Gelica hot and bothered." Crow added proudly, causing many pointed looks to be sent Rean's way. He only responded by sighing in exasperation, already regretting giving Crow that much power.
Rean did his best to reassure the girls. "I'll do my best to reign him in..." Of course such a halfhearted attempt didn't reassure them much at all. After a few minutes of conversing the students slowly started filing out one at a time, with many of them having to help their clubs with their own festival preparations. Laura herself was just about to leave when Fie shot her a pointed look, causing her to correctly deduce that the silver-haired girl wished to speak with her.
"Soooo..." She drawled once the rest of the class was out of hearing range. "You gonna make a move?"
"Huh?" Was Laura's ineloquent reply, but the confused girl could think of nothing better to say.
Her confusion caused the younger girl to grin slightly. "Talking bout Rean, of course."
"O-Oh." Unsure how to respond to that she attempted a deflection. "But what about you?"
"I'm going to Roer with him. I can figure something out there." It wouldn't be easy with such a large group, but Fie wanted a few more days to figure things out. "With the festival coming up we won't have much free time. And we don't want to wait around too long... We're going to Alisa's hometown. Can't count on her remaining shy or Rean remaining dense forever."
Laura was uncomfortable with treating their friend like an enemy, but the point had merit. "I suppose you're right. I... will give thought to your words." She couldn't help but wince at just how nervous the thought made her.
Something which Fie obviously picked up on. "Just be yourself." At Laura's questioning look she shrugged. "I don't know much about romance, but that's something I hear often enough. Sounds right to me."
It was something that the Arseid heiress had heard plenty of times herself. "Right. I thank you for the advice, but if you will excuse me..." It might have been a somewhat abrupt departure, but Fie seemed to understand that she had a lot on her mind as she departed for the swimming club.
"Rean Schwarzer, I challenge you to a duel!" Those were the words that greeted the boy as he entered the common area of the Class VII dorm the very next morning.
"What?" Was all he could ask the flustered Laura as she approached him. Maybe he hadn't fully woken up yet, cause it almost sounded like...
"As I said. I wish to challenge you to a duel." Alright, so maybe he did hear correctly.
"But why now? We have class soon."
Laura flushed as she realized the miscommunication. "Sorry! I meant for it to be after class today. It was just something that has been on my mind for a while and I suppose I might have been a bit hasty in the challenge."
"Well, alright." That certainly made more sense, at the very least. "But why now? Not that I'm refusing, of course." He was still a bit confused, but the notion of a duel against Laura was certainly intriguing and he would be lying if he said the thought hadn't crossed his mind in the past.
"These last few weeks I have borne witness to your skills during our spars and feel like now is the appropriate time to ask. I simply think it would be a good experience for both of us."
"In that case, I accept. I don't have anything planned for this afternoon." Of course he didn't. This would have been one of their training days normally. "But we probably should head to class before we're late."
"Of course. Let's go." Class was good. It gave Laura the chance to steel herself for the events to follow.
After class the two of them made way to their usual spot. A few of the classmates were interested when informed about the impending duel, but Laura was grateful that none asked if they could observe. Fie shot her a knowing grin, but informed them that she couldn't watch as she was helping Edel plant some flowers that would be sold during the festival. Technically the truth, but it was something she could have done it at any point, she just understood what the swordmistress was aiming for in that moment and chose to give her that space.
Since both were students of formal sword styles, they were comfortable enough with the rules of a duel so no instructions needed to be given. As soon as both were ready, the battle began. With a cry the two warriors charged at each other and met in a clash of blades.
Although the two had sparred many times in the past, a duel was something completely different. There was no holding back, no breaks, and no real exchange of words. Just the sounds of battle cries and the clanging of steel as blade met blade.
Compared to her earlier duel against Fie, Rean was certainly slower, but still had Laura beat in raw speed. The ex-jaeger also possessed a marked advantage in ranged firepower. On the other side, Rean was more formidable at close range and had enough knowledge of the second, third, fourth, and sixth forms of the Eight Leaves One Blade school of swordsmanship that he could change his approach at a whim. It was only thanks to her previous observations of his fighting style that she was able to recognize the stances enough to not be caught off guard by those tactics.
Time had no meaning to the two as they pushed their bodies to the brink trying to secure an advantage over the other. She truly believed that a clash of blades was the truest way to understand someone, and each blow struck only reinforced that idea. If her duel against Fie had shown her the younger girl's determination and sense of honor, this duel only reinforced the idea that Rean possessed the qualities she sought in a partner.
Of course in any duel someone has to give eventually, and after almost a full hour of battle it was Rean who slipped up first. His exhausted body was slow to react and an attempt at dodging fell just a little short. It wasn't even a strong hit, but it was just enough to knock him off his feet and he found himself struggling to stand.
As adrenaline finally faded Laura too found it impossible to remain standing herself, and it was only thanks to using her blade as a support that she didn't immediately collapse to her knees. She knew her father would disapprove of treating her weapon so poorly, but in that instance she couldn't really muster the energy to care. With as much grace as she could muster, which was actually very little, she sat herself on the hard ground and waited for Rean to recover.
After a minute he did so. He was still panting heavily as he pulled himself up into a sitting position and she wondered if she was just as much a sweaty mess as he was, but even with all that there was a tired grin on his face, one that probably mirrored the expression on her own. Despite his loss he seemed content with the battle that had occurred.
"That was a splendid battle, Rean. You have grown tremendously since we started here. I am sure the next time you see your master you will be awarded the intermediate rank."
"Haha... maybe." He agreed sheepishly. "But if I am it's all because of you and Fie."
"Nonsense. You already took the first step yourself and I am certain you would have gotten there eventually. At most we merely helped you along that path."
A companionable silence descended on the two as they recovered from the fight. For Rean it was a simple matter of replaying the duel in his mind and noticing his mistakes and how to correct them for the next time. While he was happy with his performance, he still had his pride, and pride would not allow him to lose again, even to an opponent of the caliber of Laura S. Arseid.
For Laura, however, her mind was in great turmoil. While she knew what she wanted to do next, knowing it and actually doing it were proving to be two vastly different things. As wonderful a person as her father was, this was one subject he had understandably failed to prepare her for and she found herself missing her mother.
"Hey Laura?" She was startled out of her troubled thoughts by Rean's voice. "I'm curious. What kind of exercise did you do to acquire such strength and endurance?"
Always eager to answer any question pertaining to the martial arts, and not at all looking for an excuse to buy herself some time away from her thoughts, she happily answered the question, detailing the many drills the Radiant Blademaster made her do. In return, Rean talked about the exercises that Yun Ka-fai had him do, which tended to focus more on speed and rapid swings.
From there the conversation naturally moved onto other parts of their training. The Eight Leaves practitioner reminisced about his survival training in the Eisengard Range, while the student of the Arseid style had her own time spent in the mountains near Calvard. They couldn't help but find it fascinating how despite how many differences their training had, how similar it actually ended up being overall.
Time passed while Laura discussed every topic with Rean except for the one she desperately wanted to. It wasn't until night settled in and the swordsman made to leave that she realized how close she was to letting the opportunity slip past, but try as she might the words just would not come to her. She could do nothing but shamefully admit her failure as the duo let the Old Schoolhouse and returned to the dorm.
While the majority of their classmates were curious about the duel, which they detailed, a certain stoic ex-jaeger appeared far more interested in Laura's troubled expression, so she cornered the older girl and got an explanation later that evening.
"I just couldn't do it. The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I froze up." She admitted with visible frustration on her face.
"Gonna try again?"
"Eventually." Despite her failure, she was not one to give up so easily. "But not now. I think I need some time before I try again. Also, I do believe it's your turn now."
"Ah..." Fie grimaced at that. If Laura couldn't pull it off what chance did she have? Still... "I'll give it a shot."
The blue-haired girl did brighten slightly as a thought came to mind. "At least I am now certain that this is a goal worth pursuing. He and I much in common and being with him makes me want to work all the harder to improve myself, both as an Arseid practitioner and as an individual. It's quite similar to how I feel with you, actually."
"Mmm... Yup. Same here. Never really saw the need to push myself until I befriended you. Now I'm stuck with a pair of sword freaks and I have to work hard if I don't wanna fall behind." Despite the somewhat rude label, the smile on the younger girl's face showed her true feelings on the matter. There were worse things in life than having a pair of sword freaks at your side.
The next day was a tense one for the members of Class VII. It was the day before the next field study and despite this being the sixth time they were doing it, there was an added worry in the air as the overall situation in the Empire felt like it was getting worse and worse by the day.
"We do seem to have bad luck with our field studies..." A worried Elliot admitted as they chatted before class.
"More specifically, it appears that misfortune is destined to occur for whichever group Rean is in." Jusis's observation caused the entire group to pause and think about all the past occurrences.
Gaius was the first to reply to that. "...There does appear to be a pattern."
"I never thought about it before, but it seems fishy. Wait, does that mean..." Alisa trailed off in realization.
"Yup, we're screwed." Fie answered with a grin as she watched their unofficial leader deflate more and more after each comment.
He perked up as a thought occurred to him. "W-Wait! What about Heimdallr and Garrelia. All the bad stuff there happened to both groups!"
"That just means your misfortune is enough to affect both groups when at the same location." Machias paused as he looked like he swallowed a lemon. "As much as I absolutely loathe agreeing with Albarea on anything, he is correct in this matter. We're going to have a bad time at Roer."
"Hundred mira says we get attacked by terrorists this weekend. Any takers?" Sadly for the second year gambler of Class VII nobody seemed inclined to give him their money, causing him to deflate. Really they were just cowards. It wasn't like he had any insider information or anything...
"It could all just be coincidence, right? It seems like all of Erebonia is in turmoil so maybe we just keep ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time?" Emma, kind as she was, did her best to support Rean, but even she looked distinctly doubtful of the possibility. Perhaps she should check to see if a hex of some sort had been placed on the swordsman?
Laura also rose to his defense, but in a different way. "If nothing else being forced to adapt and respond to these constant crisis is a good learning experience for us and can only help us grow as individuals." Their supportive words caused Rean to look at them hopefully.
"You two are trying way too hard. We're screwed." Fie reaffirmed, causing his brief optimism to die a horrible death. The gathered students couldn't help but laugh as the native of Ymir let out a despairing moan and crashed his head into the desk. Despite the ominous words, the conversation had actually done a lot to reduce the tension among the group.
Classes proceeded as usual, and soon the end of the day came. For the members of Class VII it was time to pack, tune their orbments, make sure their equipment was up to shape, or in Fie's case a time to make some purchases of dubious legality from the pawn shop. After that, of course, was another fine dinner prepared by their super maid. There was an unusual occurrence with Instructor Sara informing them that she wanted them to stop by the academy field the next morning before their field study, but since she refused to give any details they put it out of thought for the time being.
Once finished they all retired to the dorms for the evening. Of course that didn't mean they were stuck there, and soon Rean found himself alongside Crow and Elliot in the latter's room. He had initially been worried that the kind healer would end up meekly following Crow's whimsical ideas, but it appeared his fears were unfounded. When it came to anything related to music, the youngest Craig turned into a fierce leader on par with his father. He was actually slightly worried that he might have awoken a beast as the younger boy all but ordered them to do his bidding with the festival. Eventually it was the Schwarzer who beat a hasty retreat as exhaustion made for a convenient excuse, leaving Crow to face the full fury of Elliot Craig alone.
The next morning came quickly, and most of the members of the class were quick to get ready. They were forced to wait around a little extra as apparently the two males in charge of the festival had stayed up a little later then expected and had overslept because of it. Still, it wasn't a major issue as they had an hour or so before they were scheduled to meet on the academy field for whatever crazy surprise the instructor had in plan. After a few minutes the musician and slacker arrived, and both groups set out to do some last minute preparation and say bid farewell to their club members.
At the designated time they arrived at the field, with Group A arriving just ahead of B. There they found both their instructor and Sharon waiting for them, with obnoxious looks on their faces hinting that they knew what was going on and that it was something that would truly surprise them. Luckily they didn't need to wait long.
Fie, Rean, and Gaius, being the most perceptive members of the class, were the first to hear it, but soon enough everyone was able to hear the distinct sound of an airship rapidly approaching their location. It was far beyond what any of them had ever seen. It was a massive crimson machine, with a sleek design that was oddly familiar to the members who lived in Heimdallr.
It was only as the ship positioned itself to land that the connection was made. Despite being much larger and a different color, in the eyes of those who saw it two years prior it was quite similar to Liberl's Arseille. The same ship that Prince Olivert had made his trip from Liberl on.
And just like that incident, it was the Prince himself who came to greet Class VII once the ship landed, faithful bodyguard at his side. He introduced the ship as the Courageous. The real surprise, at least to some members of the group, was when he introduced Captain Victor S. Arseid, Laura's father. To say his daughter was flabbergasted would be an understatement. Alongside him was Toval, of the Bracer's Guild.
Once introductions were finished, it was announced that the class would be arriving to their field studies on board the airship. The students were in awe as they boarded the craft, where they learned that it was a joint effort between the Reinford company, Liberl's ZCF, and the Epstein Foundation, financed by the prince himself. With a top speed of 3000 SPH it could travel across the entire Empire in just a few hours.
The first stop they made was to Heimdallr, as Prince Olivert wanted to unveil the ship in style. The members of Class VII stood on the front deck and watched the great metropolis pass under them as a blur. Briefly the craft zoomed past St. Astraia and Rean wondered if his sister was watching them.
After that they were given free reign to explore the ship as they saw fit, so long as they stayed away from the engine room and any other restricted areas. One by one the students departed, with Laura making a beeline for the bridge to interrogate her father, Alisa tracking down Sharon, and everyone else just exploring the craft on their own or in pairs. Rean was content to watch them all leave, until it was just him and one other.
"Mind if I stick with you for a bit?" Fie asked.
Rean shrugged. "Not at all. Come on, let's take a look around."
With that the two of them began their tour of the Courageous. Despite the fact the ship was clearly understaffed, it was undeniable how impressive it was. Even thought it was a military craft it wasn't lacking in shops and other amenities.
"The airship we used in the corps was pretty fast, but this one's even faster." Fie mused to herself as they stood out on the deck watching the land fly past. "In fact, it's specs seem pretty high across the board. Fancy stuff."
Rean found that interesting. "I didn't know jaegers had access to stuff like that."
She responded with a shrug. "Most don't. Zephyr did. Gave us a huge advantage in battles. Wouldn't be surprised if other groups have tried to mimic us. Red Constellation especially."
"I can imagine..." Just another reminder of how little he actually knew of the darker aspects of the world he lived in.
After that their tour took them to the bridge, where they found Laura conversing with her father. Of course the Viscount instantly noticed their presence and turned to the newcomers, causing Laura to follow his gaze. She smiled warmly when she noticed who it was. "Father, allow me to introduce you to Fie Claussell, one of my dearest friends here."
"Ah, so you're the one my daughter has told me so much about. It is an honor to make your acquaintance."
"Um, thanks. It's nice to meet you too." Normally Fie wasn't one to be nervous around authority figures, but she could tell at a glance that the man in front of her was on the same level as the Boss. Not to mention he was her best friend's dad!
"And I see Rean is with you as well. It's a pleasure to see you again." He paused to take stock of the younger swordsman. "Hmm... I see a great change in you since our last meeting. Have you perhaps found the answers you were seeking?"
The young Schwarzer scratched back of his head nervously. "I wouldn't say I have found those answers yet, but I think I am on the right path. And it's all thanks to these two for giving me the push I needed. You truly have a remarkable daughter."
"Haha! Wonderful! I admit I was concerned when I allowed Laura to enroll at Thors, but it appears my fears have been unfounded. It appears that finding good friends that she can stand alongside as equals is exactly what she needed to grow, both as a person and as a warrior."
"Father, please!" The noble girl practically whined as the embarrassment from the back and forth praising finally became too much for her to handle. It didn't help that Fie was giggling at her expense, even as she struggled to hide her own embarrassment.
Eventually, Fie couldn't keep it in anymore, and started teasing her best friend about the conversation, causing Laura to grow even more flustered. With the two girls distracted, the Radiant Blademaster whispered so only Rean could hear. "So tell me Rean, How's she doing? Is Laura getting along with the other students? The less martial ones, if you will." In other words, people that weren't him or Fie.
"Huh?" The question briefly confused the Eight Leaves student. Sure she had been a bit awkward around the more normal students at first, but those days had long since passed. "I think she's fitting in fine."
"I see. That's reassuring to hear. At times I worried that growing up in a swordfighting household caused her to end up less well rounded than her peers. I hope the two of you and your classmates will continue looking out for her."
That was a simple enough request, and one he fully intended to do without being asked. "Of course. We're glad she's with us. I can't imagine Class VII without her."
For some reason his reassuring words caused Victor's eyes to narrow in his direction. "Hmm... I can't help but get the feeling that she's something more to you than simply a classmate. Whatever the truth may be, I hope you'll consider treating her like the lady she is." For some reason Rean felt a a chill that had nothing to do with the cold. "I'm not one to abide inappropriate behavior towards my daughter."
His fight or flight response was screaming at him to flee, but he suspected that doing that would just make his end all the more painful. "I... don't have the faintest idea what you're talking about." He actually did, as even he would admit that he had been growing a lot closer to Laura in the past weeks. Of course the same could be said for Fie, too. It was all so confusing and probably not something to be thinking about while arguably the strongest man in Erebonia was staring him down. "...But I'd like to think I know how to conduct myself towards my classmates."
Luckily, the captain appeared mollified by that answer. "Good, good. That's what I wanted to hear."
It seemed, however, that their private conversation had drawn the interest of the two girls, if Laura's flat unimpressed look and Fie's teasing smirk were any indication. "What are the two of you going on about with all your whispering and furtive glances?" The younger Arseid questioned.
"Looking a little pale, Rean. Something spook ya?" Fie absolutely knew what had transpired in that conversation if her teasing grin was any indication.
After coughing awkwardly once, the Viscount decided to show off his skills as a statesman and efficiently avoided the topic with a half-answer before deftly switching to a different topic. While it wasn't enough to remove his daughter's suspicions, it did catch her off guard enough for the matter to be dropped.
With that conversation over the two elected to remain on the bridge. While they originally planned on giving their third friend the chance to converse with her father in private while they checked out the different work stations, the older girl wasn't willing to let them leave, so in the end the three students spent the rest of the trip conversing with the Empire's finest warrior.
Before long, the intercom announced their imminent arrival to Roer, and the members of Group A were to prepare to disembark. Shortly after that the airship landed and they disembarked, with Group B, their Instructor, Toval, the Prince, and the Viscount there to see them off. Once free of the ship they turned and watched it quickly ascend into the skies and out of sight.