'Mimir has an eventful first day as an intern.'

Chapter Nine: The Intern Drama

Skuld was more anxious about leaving Brain than she would've liked to admit. The idea of going back to dealing with Meili's frustrated professionalism and Kvasir's well-meaning obliviousness made her skin itch, and she would've liked to have some sort of backup—if for no other reason to have someone to vent to. But Brain's got his own stuff to work on. And it's not like I can't handle it.

It was just…frustrating.

Skuld took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. Okay. I just need to focus. I can deal with it. It'll be fine.

She didn't know the hallways of this tower nearly as well as she'd known her own, but she thought she could find her way back to the Exploration Department without too many issues. She turned down the corridors, tracing familiar pathways and trying hard not to think about what may be waiting for her.

"…got someone new. Why the hell are you trying to add a new intern on top of it?"

Skuld frowned as Meili's voice drifted down the hallway. New intern…? Oh, please don't be more blueblood drama—

"It's on Master Frigga's orders. I promise they'll be a valuable addition. They've gotten full marks from their professors, and did splendidly on their first off-world mission."

That sounds like Osmin.

"Listen, I don't care what their credentials supposedly are. We only accept students under special conditions—"

"Like Master Frigga's orders."

"Which are real damn suspicious."

Skuld's eyebrows furrowed, and she turned the corner to see—

Oh. Oh, no.

Meili and Osmin stood outside the door to the Exploration department, still in heated conversation. A short distance away stood Mimir, looking like they wanted to be anywhere but here. At her arrival they snapped towards her; their expression went from awkward to vaguely mortified to sheepish, shoulders hunched near their ears.

Skuld clenched her fists and inhaled deeply to stuff down the flash of anger. It's not their fault. It's not their fault.

…It is Frigga's, though.

That brought about a different sort of anger—maybe on behalf of Mimir, maybe on behalf of Meili, maybe just on behalf of Brain and herself—and she found herself interrupting, "They're here because of me."

Mimir blinked, looking lost.

Meili and Osmin both snapped towards her; Meili's expression darkened, and Skuld realized belatedly how that might've been taken. "Because Frigga wants someone to keep an eye on me," she clarified, pinning Osmin with a look. "Right?"

"They are here because of their mission with you," Osmin agreed. "But that's because they performed admirably—"

"And they were only on that mission because Frigga wanted to spy on us." She exhaled slowly. "Brain has Sigurd. And I guess I have Mimir."

Mimir looked guilty, and Skuld tried to give them an apologetic look; she knew it wasn't their fault, but she couldn't quite get rid of the frustration, however misplaced.

"They," Osmin said pointedly, "are already at the top of their class. It makes sense to give them the chance to spread their wings."

"Let me guess," Meili said, crossing their arms and glaring at Osmin. "If we tell Frigga no, she'll just overrule us?"

Osmin sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I don't know why you're making this so difficult. It's just an intern; you take them all the time."

Meili exchanged a look with Skuld, and it felt a little strange to realize that they were on the same side, after their strained introduction yesterday. "It's different when you force it," Skuld said.

"It's different when it's obvious you're doing it to be a dick," Meili corrected. "But sure, fine. I guess if we try to get rid of them she'll just send someone else."

Osmin had a tired expression on his face that said he wasn't sure he was happy with that response, but he didn't try to argue further. "Mimir," he said, turning to them, "I'll leave you to get settled. Don't let these two bully you around."

Mimir still looked incredibly awkward, but they nodded.

Osmin gave the group of them a cursory glance, then walked away without another word.

The minute he left, Skuld's shoulders slumped with a sigh, and she rubbed her hands over her face. "Another day."

To her surprise, Meili laughed. "Guess that's one way of putting it." They looked towards Mimir. "So did you even want to be part of this, or did Osmin basically force you into it?"

Mimir hesitated, glancing towards Skuld. "I…agreed," they admitted, and Skuld tensed a little, "but…" They paused, eyes flicking as if searching for the words, then exhaled slowly and signed instead, "I don't want to spy. I just thought that maybe being here would help."

It took Skuld a moment to get it. "With your missing friends."

They nodded, not quite looking at her.

"Hey." Meili gave her a curious look. "You mind translating?"

"Oh, they—they're not going to report back to Frigga. Or at least, they're going to try not to. They're looking for people."

Meili sighed, running a hand over their face. "Of course they are." They looked at them squarely. "Okay, kid, there are some flaws in your plan. One: Frigga's going to ask for reports, whether you want to give them or not. You can lie or play dumb all you want, but she'll probably still get something out of you. Two: joining the Exploration Department because you want to find someone is a long-shot. If they disappeared from Scala, they could be anywhere—including dead. Even if they aren't, they might not want to be found. It's a huge galaxy. You sure you're still up for that?"

Mimir hesitated, then nodded, expression grim. They didn't say anything, but Skuld knew the feeling: It's not much, but it's all you have to go on.

Meili sighed again. "Great. Well. Welcome to the team, I guess." They tilted their head back towards the door, then said a little louder, "Kvasir can show you around."

A startled noise came from behind the door, and then Kvasir poked his head out, looking slightly sheepish. "I…apologize. I just heard you talking, and I thought—"

"You'd eavesdrop because you can't keep your nose out of other people's business. Yeah, I'm aware. But I guess that's useful for once, since it means you're caught up to speed."

Kvasir looked slightly uneasy. "Are you really sure Master Frigga sent them to spy? If they're really as talented as Osmin says they are, then this could just be a misunderstanding. I'm sure if you talked to her—"

Meili laughed. "Oh, kid. You really need to get a better handle on this politics stuff if you're going to be on the council at some point."

Kvasir straightened, looking a little frustrated, to Skuld's surprise. "It seems like it's better to talk to someone than to guess about their intentions. You don't need to assume the worst."

Meili studied him. "Guess the optimisms' not the worst thing," they admitted. "But knowing you, you'd say something, accidentally offend someone, and cause a political incident."

Kvasir's expression turned to something a little more sheepish.

Meili waved him off. "Anyway. Tour. Me and my co-Head are going to go over some paperwork."

Skuld nodded, swallowing back a groan.

Kvasir brightened a little. "Well—it's always good to have new people. Come on; you'll enjoy the Exploration Department, I'm sure…"

Mimir gave Skuld a vaguely panicked look as they were tugged along.

Skuld gave them a half-smile and shrugged. (There was something about the image that itched at the back of her mind; something that screamed of bright streets and a fountain and friends she knew she wouldn't get to see again. She pushed the image down as far as she could, but the feelings lingered, all the same.)

-There was something comforting, in a weird way, about the familiarity of the paperwork. Making missions for the Exploration Department wasn't all that different to making missions for the Dandelions, and while she still had to rely on Meili for help reading the starmaps or what sorts of missions to make, it was something she was at least confident she'd get used to. Eventually.

(You don't need to get used to it, a part of her said. You're not going to be staying, remember?)

"Guess being a Union Leader wasn't all talk, after all."

Skuld startled, then tensed a little, frustrated at the tone. "What do you mean?"

Meili wasn't looking at her—still going over papers of some sort, though she wasn't sure what—but she got the feeling they were paying close attention to her, anyways. "Stories are exaggerated. I figured you were just in the right place at the right time. Maybe you were some noble's kid, too. I don't know; just wasn't sure how much stock I put in the accuracy of the legends."

It sparked something angry in her chest. "Just because we didn't have anyone to teach us doesn't mean we weren't capable. We still had to make sure the Dandelions survived." She looked back towards the mission sheets, scribbling out a note aggressively. "We made missions for them, too. The worlds were different, but some of the ideas were the same."

She could feel Meili studying her. She tried to ignore it, biting back her frustration. "You're right about the stories, though," she said after a moment, bits of that anger lingering. "From what I've heard, there are a lot that aren't right."

"…Yeah." There was something in their voice that she couldn't place, but they didn't pursue the conversation further, turning back to their work.

The peace only lasted a heartbeat; the door creaked open, letting Kvasir and Mimir into the room.

Meili slammed their pen onto their desk. "Oh, for the love of—"

"And this," Kvasir was saying, oblivious, "is the last stop on our tour: Meili's office." He paused, then gave Skuld a sheepish look. "Or I suppose Meili and Master Skuld's office now."

"So what part," Meili started, "of 'spy' did you not understand?"

"They needed the full tour," Kvasir responded. "And they aren't going to spy; they said so themself."

Mimir, for their part, looked a little overwhelmed. They looked to Skuld, signing, "Is he always like this?"

She shrugged.

"You are—" Meili made a frustrated noise, muttering something behind their hands that sounded a little like, "Bluebloods."

"Besides," Kvasir continued, "I wanted to see if we could drag Master Skuld away from her work."

Skuld tensed.

"Spy," Meili repeated, exasperated.

"Not a spy," Kvasir corrected with a grin. "A potential friend who'd be a lot more likely to give a good report if they like the people they're reporting about."

Skuld blinked.

Meili had a conflicted expression on their face. "…I don't like that you have a point."

Kvasir grinned, then turned towards Skuld and extended a hand. "So?"

Skuld hesitated. Her eyes flicked to Kvasir's (like Ephemer's), then to Mimir.

They flinched a little when she caught their eye, attention skittering to something over her shoulder.

It stoked something angry in her chest, and her fingers curled against the desk. (It's not their fault.) "Why should Frigga get to decide how we interact with each other?"

Kvasir's grin broadened.

"You aren't supposed to have a point, either," Meili muttered with a sigh. "Alright, fine, my turn: the more you interact with them, the more that Frigga can probably get out of you."

"She's going to get that anyways." And it's not like I'm going to be talking about the stuff that really matters. "And maybe it'll be easier to avoid that if we work together."

"See?" Kvasir crowed.

"You still don't think she's actually planning anything."

"Well." He shrugged, not looking particularly worried. "You were concerned about it. So."

"Amazed you noticed." Meili looked at Skuld, then sighed and waved her off. "Fine. Go make your bad decisions. But I'm leaving that paperwork for you when you get back."

Skuld surprised herself by laughing. "Okay." She looked at Kvasir, then shifted her attention sharply towards Mimir. "What did you want me for?"

Mimir blinked, then pointed at themself, looking vaguely lost.

Kvasir was the one who answered: "Well. I was thinking this would be a great chance for you to network."

Meili groaned. "For the love of—"

Skuld was starting to second-guess her decision. "Network…?"

-"Network!" Kvasir swung his arms wide in a broad gesture, indicating Scala ad Caelum at large. Thankfully, most people weren't paying too much attention to them—though that might've been partially because Skuld and Mimir were both hanging back in the shadows of the Clock Tower. A couple people paused to give Kvasir vaguely-confused looks, then turned and hurried on their way.

Skuld exchanged glances with Mimir, but they looked just as lost. "I had no idea he was doing this," they signed hurriedly.

That seemed to align with what she knew of Kvasir so far.

"You're a Union Leader," Kvasir continued, whipping towards her with a broad grin, "so people already know you—"

"Of me," she corrected almost without thinking.

"—but you don't know them. It's good to have friends in the right places—get to know the people you should speak to, the ones who are…less than pleasant…and—well, it can make getting things done much easier."

For as promising as that sounded, she doubted Kvasir's optimism was as founded as he seemed to think it was. "And you can show me…?"

"Of course! I'll have to introduce you to some of the rest of the family—my uncle, and maybe Aunt Marion, she owns an area down near the wharf…oh, and I know some high-ranking wielders that you should meet."

"Friends with everyone?" Mimir asked, quiet; Skuld almost thought they sounded sarcastic, but their voice was so dry it was hard to tell.

"As many as I can be!"

It was familiar in a way that felt jarring, and Skuld had to suck in a breath and look away to avoid the phantom of a boy with a red scarf and a similarly-cheerful expression. "Lead the way."

Kvasir beamed, then hurried off into Scala's streets. Skuld trailed behind him, Mimir sticking close beside her, shoulders hunched near their ears. Skuld couldn't blame them; she wanted to do something similar. With how much Kvasir was chatting, some people were bound to notice them eventually; it already felt like people were watching, her skin prickling under imagined gazes.

"Our family is pretty well-established here," Kvasir was saying when Skuld tuned back into his chattering. "Many are well-respected Keyblade wielders—my grandparents went on adventures across the worlds, helping to chart some well-established routes. And we—well, we don't own many ships anymore, but we certainly used to, and we still help maintain some of the historical buildings—oh, hello!" Kvasir waved at someone passing by, and they started, waving half-heartedly back at him.

Skuld's eyebrows furrowed. She glanced towards Mimir for an explanation.

They weren't looking at her; they still looked a little uncomfortable, hunched over and pressed close, like they were trying to avoid being noticed.

Skuld nudged them lightly.

They started, giving her a wide-eyed, almost guilty look.

Skuld tilted her head towards Kvasir—who was rambling about the library, she thought, or something about the storykeepers.

Mimir followed her eyes, expression confused for a moment. Then it shifted to something a little more understanding, and they signed, "Like I told you: they don't have much real power anymore." They paused, then continued, "The bloodline's so spread out that saying you're related to Ephemer doesn't always mean much."

Skuld glanced after Kvasir, then lifted her hands to sign back: "Kvasir makes it seem like a big deal."

"I think it's probably the way he was raised. Some of the older bluebloods really try to emphasize how important the family is—and how important it is to try and maintain their status."

"Like through networking."

"Yeah." Mimir shrugged with a sheepish smile.

"What do they—" Skuld paused, considering what she wanted to say. "What power do they actually have?"

Mimir chewed their lip thoughtfully. "They still have a decent hold on the council—that's probably a big part of the reason they have any power. Others are Keyblade wielders. Aside from that…they're in charge of the historical building. They have the most records about the city—relationships, legends, construction records, that sort of thing." Their expression screwed up in thought. "I think they still own a lot of land on the abandoned islands, but that's useless now."

It ticked at something she remembered Brain telling her briefly. "Useless?"

"I don't know much about them. We're not allowed to go there, but nobody really talks about why."

Skuld nodded, not entirely sure what to make of it. Kvasir didn't seem to notice, still talking animatedly, voice echoing off the buildings.

Mimir tapped her shoulder, and when she glanced at them they signed, "It's not a bad idea to get on their good side. It'll…probably make it easier with the council."

She hummed an acknowledgment. And then she took a better look at Mimir, eyebrows furrowed.

They'd relaxed a little as they talked, but their eyes still darted about nervously, drawn in on themself as much as they could.

"Are you okay?" she signed.

Mimir didn't appear to notice at first, still looking awkwardly out at the city, but they snapped towards her when she nudged them. A complicated expression twisted their face, and they hesitated before answering. "It's—" They paused, staring at their hands in frustration, like they weren't sure what to say.

Skuld tilted her head.

Mimir made a frustrated noise and gestured at her, then Kvasir. "This doesn't feel…earned."

"The internship."

Mimir hesitated; she wasn't sure if that's what they really wanted to say, but they didn't correct her. "I don't like…the attention," they signed instead.

"Why'd you come?"

"Missing something." They shrugged, head and hands lowered, and she realized she probably wasn't going to get much more of an answer out of them.

Skuld turned away, and caught sight of someone else on the streets. They'd been staring until she saw them, but they turned away quickly, whispering something to whoever they were walking with. I don't like it, either.

An empty ache yawned open in her chest. It felt almost like there was an invisible barrier between her and the rest of Scala ad Caelum. It'd been somewhat present as a Union Leader, but…it wasn't quite the same. The Dandelions had still known them; here, the only one who really knew her was Brain.

Walking with Kvasir and Mimir…it almost reminded her of spending time with Ephemer and their friend, but the differences were stark enough that it made that ache dig deeper.

Someone shouted excitedly down the street, and Skuld snapped towards the noise. A couple of kids were exiting a shop; they hadn't noticed their group, talking animatedly to each other. One of them had a toy Keyblade, waving it excitedly. It made Skuld think a little of Daybreak Town, and for a moment, she closed her eyes and saw different streets painted on the backs of her eyelids, filled with wielders. It was a familiarity she didn't expect to miss as much as she did.

(But there were wielders her age here, weren't there?)

"Kvasir," Skuld called.

"And—hmm?" Kvasir stopped mid-sentence, blinking at her owlishly.

"It'd help to 'network' with other Keyblade wielders, right?"

Kvasir tilted his head. "Oh. Well—yes, it should. Do you want to start there?"

She didn't quite look at Mimir; she wondered if they'd caught on. "I…think I know some people I'd like to talk to."

-Skuld hadn't really questioned whether this was a good idea or not until she was standing on the edge of the training field, staring at the other wielders. All of them were students—she didn't know if they trained with Mimir or not, but they looked about the same age. (My age.) They hadn't noticed any of them yet, and Skuld found herself hesitating, hands clenching and unclenching. What if they don't like me? a part of her wondered, half-panicked. What if they look at me like the council? What if they just think I'm a legend and not—

What if this was a bad idea?

But something kept her rooted in place, eyes glued on the other wielders.

Mimir fidgeted beside her, tense; they kept lifting their hands, like they wanted to sign something but couldn't quite find the words.

"I didn't even think of that." Kvasir sounded somewhere between baffled and approving, though his expression seemed to be leaning more and more towards the latter. "Getting to know future wielders would be—"

"Maybe we shouldn't."

She didn't even really want to say the words, taking them from some half-hearted place of fear that said she should be careful, but they slipped out anyways, torn from wariness she couldn't quite get rid of. (She still couldn't tear her eyes away from them.)

"But…it was your idea?"

"Maybe it was a bad idea."

"You don't know until you try, right?" Kvasir's eyes brightened a little. "Look, my cousin's here—I can introduce you." Before she had the chance to say anything, Kvasir hurried out across the training field. "Hello! Eir!"

One of the wielders started, whipping around with wide eyes, mouth opening and closing rapidly like she was struggling to find something to say. "No."

Kvasir opened his arms, like he was going in for a hug.

Someone else groaned. "Here we go."

"No," the first wielder—Eir, Skuld assumed—repeated, scrambling to her feet and starting away. "No no no, don't you dare—"

Kvasir shot after her, ignoring her screech of, "Kvasir!"

"…Should we do something?" one of the others asked.

"I think they'll be fine."

For a brief moment, Skuld could imagine her friends out there instead, or her old party members, or just—just kids in Daybreak Town somewhere, messing around after going out on missions.

(But they'd never had anything like this. They hadn't even known that the way they'd been gathered might've wrong; that someone should've tried to guide them before throwing them against monsters. This was…better, she thought.

She wanted to understand this. She wanted the chance to see what her friend had built.)

Kvasir tackled his cousin, who kicked and twisted; Kvasir ignored her, ruffling her hair. It felt painfully, achingly familiar.

"Weird that he actually came by to visit, though. I thought he was too busy with council stuff."

That's it, Skuld thought. That's my opportunity. She took a deep breath, stuffed down her misgivings, and stepped onto the field. "That's my fault."

Several pairs of eyes whipped towards her. She could see when they realized who she was, their eyes going wide. Someone hissed, "Is that…?"

One of her friends elbowed her. "Dude, be quiet."

Skuld hesitated, uncertainty back full force.

The closest wielder scrambled to her feet, dipping into something close to a bow. "Master Skuld."

"I—you don't have to—"

"Hey, Eir!" someone else shouted. "You might want to come over here."

"Really?" someone else hissed.

"I'm trying, but Kvasir won't let me up—"

Kvasir glanced towards Skuld and brightened. "Master Skuld," he said, a bit louder than was probably necessary.

"Master—what?" Eir twisted from her position on the ground and blanched. "…You know what, never mind. I can stay here. Just—just bury me here, it's fine—"

"No, no, Master Skuld's here to get to know people." Kvasir dragged Eir to her feet.

"No no no, Kvasir, I can't talk to a Union Leader, are you kidding me—"

"Of course you can. You're descended from her friend, remember?"

Skuld winced.

"That means nothing, Kvasir, please don't embarrass me—"

Kvasir set his cousin down in front of her, who stood with her back too straight, expression like she was about to be sick.

Skuld stared back, suddenly uncertain about what she should say. Just—just find something. Just think of something.

Kvasir mimed for her to speak, smiling encouragingly.

Eir made a pained sort of noise and turned away. "Great, cool, okay good talk, I'm just going to go…hide in the library. For the rest of my life."

"Kvasir's the one who's going to embarrass you, huh?" someone whispered.

"Shut up, Kris."

"I—" Skuld faltered, voice rough. "Wait. Don't—I just wanted to know what training's like." It was so much more than that, but she didn't think she had the words to explain what that was and why, so she let the words fall between them, awkward and uncertain.

Kvasir gave her an encouraging grin.

Skuld wasn't quite sure she managed one back.

The students looked at her. "You're…interested in that?" the one nearest asked tentatively, finally straightening out of her bow.

"We didn't have anything quite like this back in Daybreak Town. And Mimir—"

They weren't there. She thought that maybe they'd just followed her quietly to watch, but when she looked, she caught sight of them back on the edge of the training field, looking uncertain.

Skuld's eyebrows furrowed.

"It's…training." The wielder closest to her tilted her head, looking lost. "I mean—I know you guys were the first, but—"

"We weren't trained," Skuld cut in, and she couldn't quite keep the bitterness out of her voice. "For…anything."

The silence that fell was awkward and stilted, and Skuld clenched her fists. This was…a bad idea, she thought, and almost turned to leave.

"So like…you're really a Union Leader?"

Skuld started, snapping towards the voice.

One of the students was staring at her, a thoughtful expression on her face.

Eir made a noise of protest. "Kris, why—"

"Look, we don't have any proof that she's a Union Leader, besides what the council says. I'm just saying—"

"Kris," the student closest to Skuld said with a sigh.

"It's alright," Skuld interrupted, because the idea of someone besides the council questioning her was…freeing, in a strange way. It made her feel a little more like a person. "I get it. The council isn't…always very open."

"She is a Union Leader," Kvasir promised. "Master Brain confirmed it himself."

"Yeah, okay, but same problem there." Kris's eyes were brightening a little. "I think you should prove it."

"The stories aren't right," Skuld couldn't help but point out, a little more bite in her words than she intended.

"I don't need stories." Kris grinned, Keyblade appearing with a flash. "Let's spar."

Skuld blinked.

One of the other students groaned. "This sounds like a great way to get in trouble."

Another rubbed his forehead. "Kris…"

"What? If she's a Union Leader, she should actually be a Master, right? It's an easy way to test things."

"You just want bragging rights."

"Fine, okay, it'd be cool to say I fought a Union Leader."

Skuld was…more than a little skeptical. She had no idea how much training any of them had, but—

But it felt normal. It felt like something she might've done with other Union members or her friends. It felt like something she would've been a part of, if things had been…different.

A hand gripped her arm. She blinked, startled, and was surprised to find that Mimir had finally crossed the distance, looking worried.

She gave them a tiny smile and shook free, Starlight snapping to her fingertips.

"Master Keyblade," someone else whispered, and she wanted to laugh, because she'd upgraded hers, maybe, but it was still Starlight.

Kris grinned, slipping into a ready stance.

The group rapidly cleared off the field.

"Break's going to end soon—"

"Listen, are you going to pass up the chance to watch a Union Leader fight?"

Mimir hesitated; they edged towards the side of the training grounds, but the worry was still painted across their face.

Kvasir didn't look like he had the same reservations; he seemed just as excited as the others, nudging his cousin excitedly.

Skuld breathed out slowly and let herself relax. "Go ahead."

Kris's grin stretched wider, and then she launched herself across the field.

She was fast; Skuld would give her fast. But Skuld had spent most of her time in Daybreak Town facing down Heartless in potentially life-threatening situations, not other wielders in a controlled setting. Starlight moved, blocking Kris's strike. Another strike, another parry, and again, and again, strikes gradually increasing in speed. Metal rang across the field—

(A battlefield, littered with Keyblades. A dark chamber, the specter of someone she once knew launching towards her.)

Skuld sucked in a breath and shook her head. She twisted her Keyblade, hooking her teeth around the edge of her opponent's weapon. It disappeared from Kris's hand, reappearing in the other one and coming up for a strike. Skuld kicked backwards, magic burning her tongue, fire rising in a ring around her.

"Woah," someone breathed.

Skuld had a brief moment of panic—careful, careful, you're not trying to hurt her—but Kris had apparently leapt out of range, settling back into that same fighting stance as she waited for the fire to die. Skuld took the offensive this time, launching through the embers of the spell, magic burning through her legs. She crashed into Kris; Kris practically bent over backwards, hands bracing against the edge of her Keyblade, but her legs barely moved, shifting a little to absorb the shock of the impact. Skuld moved, swinging around to strike at her opponent's side. Something nicked her back as she turned—just barely, but enough to get a reaction, more instinctual than anything, Starlight snapping around so quickly she barely had the chance to think about it.

Kris made a startled sound, breath wheezing out in a laugh, and when Skuld's mind caught up with her actions, she realized she'd tried to stab them, the blow blocked just barely by Kris's quick reaction time.

She backpedaled quickly. Maybe—maybe I should let her lead.

Kris reset her stance, blade held carefully, then lunged, and Skuld responded in turn. The strikes were quick, precise—meant to take advantage of whatever openings Skuld had. Skuld swung broadly, but she was quick, and strong, and used to much more ruthless opponents. Parrying the strikes started to feel a little less like a standard battle and more like a game, and she surprised herself by realizing she was grinning, swinging around to catch Kris's blade before it could hit her arm, her side.

(This could've been what she'd had, if things had worked out just a little differently. She and her friends. It was so easy to imagine she was just another wielder like this, without her burdens hanging over her.)

"Come on," Kris said, but she was still grinning. "You're a Union Leader, right? You've got more than this."

"You haven't actually hit her!" someone shouted.

"Hey, I've gotten close!"

Skuld snorted, then twisted Starlight. She caught her opponent's weapon and twisted it out of her hands before she could react. Kris was already stretching out a hand, ready to call it back—but Skuld was quicker.

She could've slipped past her opponent's guard and hit her, probably; it wouldn't have been difficult, when she was unarmed. But Kris had said something about having more than this, and, well—maybe it was just the heat of the moment, but she hadn't used much magic yet. Light flickered at the tip of her Keyblade, a familiar spell touching her tongue. It seemed like the rest of the training grounds dimmed underneath it, attention honing in on a single point.

She thought she heard some gasps, somewhere from the crowd.

(She thought she could see Mimir, staring at her with horror she couldn't quite place.)

"You ready?" she called.

Kris scrambled away, swearing under her breath.

Skuld swung her Keyblade around, ready to release the spell, and—

The shadows are moving.

A logical, detached part of Skuld's mind recognized they weren't—not really. It was a trick of the light, brought on by her spell. But that wasn't enough to prevent the way her heartrate spiked, pounding with a sudden, unexpected urgency. The spell broke apart under her fingertips, half-formed chains melting into sparks.

(she wasn't in the lifeboat chamber she wasn't she could see the training field Darkness wasn't here)

"…what's…"

"Why'd she…"

Something moved—something solid. A Keyblade, swinging towards her.

(her friend was—)

Something cracked under her swinging Keyblade. She thought she heard someone shout, but it was hard to hear beyond the panic panic panic, a spell flying from her Keyblade before she could think, wild and frantic, desperate to put up a barrier between her and her opponent.

Someone moved in her peripheral.

"Mimir—Mimir, wait—"

She whipped around, and—

And she was staring at her friend.

(that wasn't right that wasn't right they weren't here)

Shadows crawled over them; they seeped from their feet, stretching across the ground and grasping at her legs. She thought she could feel them dripping down her back. "Stay back," she said, and the words felt wrong on her tongue. Her legs were stuck, held in a half-awkward position that she couldn't quite break out of. (They were her friend, she couldn't run from them, but Darkness—)

"Skuld," they said, and she thought she heard the echo of someone else beneath the word. Their expression twisted, conflicted, and then they lifted their hand slowly, a faint glow flickering around their palm.

(She didn't know what they were doing. She didn't know, she didn't know, they were dangerous right now, they were dangerous, they were—)

"Mimir!"

Skuld came back to herself with the scent of iron. She wasn't standing in front of her friend, possessed by Darkness; she was standing in front of Mimir, in the middle of a training field that still felt too dangerous, their arm held at an awkward angle, something like panic in their expression.

(There was blood on Starlight's teeth.)

Kvasir was hurrying towards them, shouting…something. The others were yelling, too. Skuld couldn't quite hear it over the ringing in her ears.

Mimir was still staring at her, something like fear in their expression—but something like worry, too.

She practically threw Starlight away from her, free hand lifting, a panicked Cure spell on her lips.

Mimir flinched, then looked guilty for it.

The spell died on her lips.

"…uld. Skuld!"

She snapped towards Kvasir when the word made it through.

Kvasir wore a pained look that it seemed like he'd tried to force into a reassuring smile. "We should…we should get them medical attention. Make sure nothing else is wrong."

Her hands shook. The shadows still felt too close, prickling up her skin. Her hands felt sticky. (She couldn't stop seeing the specter of her friend.) "I…right."

-"So," Meili said, rubbing their forehead, "let me get this straight: you got into a fight."

"Spar," Skuld whispered, not quite able to put up a protest. She tried to glance behind them; they'd brought Mimir to the school, and the nurse had taken them in, and Skuld and Kvasir had been told to wait outside. Someone had told Meili, apparently, because they'd come to collect them with what looked to be angry worry.

"I feel like I shouldn't have to have this conversation with you."

They…probably shouldn't have. "I messed up," she whispered, trying to ignore the raw, panicked thing that hadn't entirely gone away. "Is Mimir…?"

"They're going to be okay, as far as I can tell."

Skuld's shoulders slumped with relief.

Meili made a disgruntled noise. "Guess that's one way to get chase off a spy."

Skuld tensed. "Meili—"

"I don't know what else I'm supposed to say to this." Meili gestured broadly, giving her a frustrated look. "What exactly were you thinking?"

That she wanted something normal. That it would be fine. That—she didn't know. That maybe she didn't want to be in charge, for once.

"You're the Co-Head of Exploration," Meili continued. "You're a Union Leader. Not a—" They broke off. Something in their expression fractured, and they looked lost a moment. "…Teenager," they finished with a sigh, the frustration seeming to leak out of them. "Fuck. I've been given babysitting duty."

She knew it should've have made her angry, but it did, the part of her that hadn't quite settled flaring back up. "I don't need to be watched."

"Are you sure? Because this doesn't fill me with confidence." Meili groaned, rubbing their hands over their face. "Teenagers. What am I supposed to do with…?" They lifted their head, looking beyond Skuld. She followed their eyes and realized the students had followed them; she hadn't even realized they were there. "Alright. Rest of you, go; two and a half kids is more than I want to deal with right now."

"Kids?" Kvasir protested, in almost the same instant that Skuld asked, "Half?"

"Eighteen," Meili said, pointing at Kvasir, then swiveled their finger towards Skuld. "Fifteen."

"Sixteen."

"And out of commission and so can't bother me at the moment," Meili finished, jerking a thumb in the direction of the nurse's office. They turned, fixing their glare on the rest of the students.

They meekly shuffled away. Kris called half-heartedly, "Nice sparring with you?"

Eir hit her head lightly.

Skuld watched them go, her stomach dropping.

Meili sighed, long and low. "So."

Skuld expected them to continue, but they didn't, and when she turned, they looked vaguely uncomfortable, like they weren't quite sure what they were supposed to say.

"It wasn't entirely her fault, I don't think," Kvasir cut in. "Something—she looked like she wasn't entirely there, and Mimir tried to help—"

"Kvasir," Skuld said—sharper than she intended, but she didn't think she could deal with the reminder right now. (She wanted to go find Brain. She wanted to curl up somewhere and not think about this. She wanted to be just about anywhere but here.)

Something must've shown on her face, because Meili sighed, slumping, and she tried to ignore the way guilt chewed on her insides. "Do you want the rest of the day off?"

Yes, some part of her said, and she immediately felt worse for it.

"Look, don't take this the wrong way; it's not a punishment or anything, it's just—" Meili rolled their head skyward, breathing out slowly. "If you're in a shit place mentally, I don't know, you might want to be elsewhere. But it's your call; you know what's going on in your head better than I do."

Skuld hesitated. She…did need to go meet with Brain at some point. And she wanted to check on Mimir. And—

(And it felt like something was squeezing around her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.)

Maybe Meili realized it wasn't an answer she could actually give, because they waved her off after a moment. "Right, well. Go do your thing, I guess."

"Meili, I'm—"

"No. That's not—don't apologize for that. For the fight? Sure. To Mimir? Yeah. But for whatever's going on up here." They pointed to their head. "It's not like you're the first Keyblade wielder I've seen deal with shit."

She wasn't sure if she should feel grateful or ashamed or what, so she just nodded, words caught in her throat.

Meili nodded back, turning to leave.

Kvasir hesitated, giving Skuld a long, worried look.

"Get up here, nosey."

Kvasir jumped, but still hesitated a moment longer before following.

Skuld swallowed, staring after him.

She stood there a lot longer than she planned to.

The Exploration Department are a surprisingly fun crew to write about, haha. Too bad things keep happening to them…