Rean

Following their successful jailbreak, Group A returned to their hotel in Bareahard for a fulfilling dinner hosted by Rufus, finally making good on his promise to invite the students to a banquet, followed by a good night's sleep. The next morning, the students got up early to leave with their instructor by train.

"You didn't have to personally see us off," Jusis said.

"Oh, but I insist!" Rufus refuted. "It's the least I can do for all the trouble my father caused you during this field study."

"You already paid us back plenty," Rean objected. "By coming in the nick of time, inviting us to dinner last night… We can't thank you enough."

Everyone else gave their thanks as well.

The train to Trista sounded its horn. Taking that as their cue to leave, Group A boarded the train and bade farewell to the Verdant City of Bareahard.

Since it was relatively early in the morning, the teens were still visibly exhausted, a fact that their instructor didn't hesitate to point out.

"And you call yourselves teenagers! Unlike me, you actually get to go to sleep every night. You should be full of energy by this point in the day!"

Rean couldn't help but let out a groan. "Give me a break…"

"Can you really blame us, Instructor?" Morgan seemed to share his sentiment. "We went through a lot this weekend, not to mention this is the second time Rean and I almost got arrested."

"Well, that's certainly true enough," Instructor Sara admitted. "Group B had their fair share of problems to deal with as well, but they weren't quite as serious as yours."

"Saint-Arkh is the territory of Marquis Hyarms of the Four Great Houses," Jusis recalled. "I wouldn't be surprised if they encountered a conflict between the two factions just as we have."

"Hyarms…" Morgan repeated the name. "Why do I feel like I've heard that name around school?"

"It's because his youngest son is in our year," Machias said, not at all enthused. "His name is Patrick, if I recall correctly."

"Yeah, I remember him." Rean recalled the way the pompous student introduced himself during orbal science class. "He's been trying to get on my good side ever since he found out I was a noble."

"Has he succeeded yet?"

"Well, I haven't interacted with him all that much, so I can't give an honest answer," he admitted to Morgan. "I don't consider him an acquaintance, at the very least."

"By the way, Sara?" Fie asked. "Aurochs Fortress is nothing to worry about, is it? It's beyond a joke."

"So I've heard." The violet-haired instructor grimaced. "And the provincial army isn't the only force trying to improve its armaments. The Imperial Army is doing the same, with the Blood and Iron Chancellor and his twenty armored divisions squarely at the center."

All the students let that piece of information hang in the air. Jusis and Machias, with their ties to the leaders of both opposing factions, didn't look like they took the news well.

"If that's the case…" Rean started to say. "How should the military academy...or rather, how should we, as students, act in a situation like this?"

"That…" Sara's voice drifted off for dramatic effect. "...is nothing you need to be worrying about. Not right now, at least."

Of all the responses he expected her to give, Rean didn't expect this one. From the looks of things, his classmates were just as intrigued.

"You're at the academy to learn, so that's all you should be focusing on," Instructor Sara explained. "While you're there, it's true that you may be forced to acknowledge some of the more...unpleasant realities of Erebonia, but I believe there's something special to be gained from that. Something you can only gain now, at this moment in time...so long as you're together with your friends and classmates. People for whom there is no substitute. Maybe when you graduate and go out into the world, much of what you've learned at Thors will have little meaning, but I still truly believe that sometime, somehow, what you experience as part of Class VII will be an invaluable treasure to you. It may not seem that way now, but I know in my heart that it will someday."

"Instructor…" Rean had almost nothing to say in response to their instructor's reply. For all intents and purposes, it was good, practical advice.

But even still…

"Pffft! Hahaha!"

That didn't stop the entire group from laughing their heads off.

"Hoo…" Machias took off his glasses to wipe a tear from his eyes. "You almost had me there for a moment.

"That was the last thing I ever thought I'd hear from you," Jusis confessed.

Instructor Sara rightfully pouted. "H-Hey! What's with all the laughing?!"

"S-Sorry, Instructor…" Rean apologized, but even he couldn't pry the grin off his face. "I'm thankful that you gave a deep answer to my question, but…"

"...coming out of your mouth, they were just…"

"...painfully droll."

"Morgan! Fie!" Sara whined, evidently feeling betrayed by the other females in the train booth.

"Something you can only gain now, at this moment in time…" Jusis recited in the best authoritative voice he could muster. "So long as you're together with your friends and classmates. People for whom there is no substitute."

Machias looked like he was ready to go into another laughing fit. "S-Stop that! Are you trying to kill me?!"

Instructor Sara puffed her cheeks like an angry child. "Why must this instructor thing be so difficult sometimes…?" she mumbled to herself.

Still smiling to himself, Rean leaned against the window and looked at the passing scenery.

'Something I can only gain now…' he thought. 'For me that would have to be…'

He looked at each of his classmates. Morgan, a dependable ally who could be both easygoing and serious. Machias, a stubborn intellectual who was also diligent and hardworking. Jusis, a considerate soul that lay beneath an aura of confidence. Fie, the youngest of the class who already experienced so much. There was also Laura, Elliot, Alisa, Gaius, and Emma, all capable individuals in their own right.

'Classmates… Friends… People who can save me from myself.'

Jusis

Friends. That was a term Jusis could hardly say he was familiar with. Then again, it came with being a bastard son of one of the Four Great Houses. Connections were plenty and acquaintances there were many, but the number of people he considered true friends was little in number.

So when he put his own pride as a noble on the line for the sake of his classmates, even Jusis had surprised himself to silence. He had claimed that they weren't the best of friends...yet, but it was evident enough that fighting for their lives had caused them to grow closer together. Yes, even Regnitz, as much as he loathed to admit.

It was something that continued to eat at his mind as he and the other members of Group A were treated to a well-deserved dinner at the hotel. They were all in various states of fatigue when they made their safe return, but the food was able to invigorate them to the point where they acted as if the afternoon's events hadn't happened at all.

"Intriguing, isn't it?" his brother conversed with him. "Nothing brings people closer than a meal right after escaping a life-or-death situation."

"Brother, please." Jusis sighed into his after-meal tea. "Now is not the time for a philosophical discussion about the inner workings of trust."

"But you were willing to lay down your life for them," Rufus reminded him. "Is that not the symbol of mutual trust?"

Jusis had to admit that his brother had a point. But even still…

"I wouldn't know. If I cannot trust my own flesh and blood, how can I trust those beyond that?"

Rufus looked hurt.

"I-I'm terribly sorry!" Jusis swiftly apologized. "I didn't mean to-!"

"It's quite alright." His older brother gave him a weak smile. "I know you were referring to Father, but I must admit I am also guilty of this. Granted, I only do so out of amusement for most of the time, but that doesn't change the fact that I also keep plenty of secrets to myself, both from you and Father. In that way, I suppose I'm a hypocrite for trying to talk about trust, aren't I?"

"N-Not at all!" Jusis shook his head. "Everyone has a right to their own secrets, do they not? Besides, regardless of what secrets you may have, that doesn't change the fact that you're still my brother, and…" He smiled reassuringly. "I couldn't have asked for a better older brother."

Rufus merely looked at him in stunned silence for a moment. Then, he chuckled to himself. "Oh, what did I do to have you as a younger brother?"

As the two brothers shared a light-hearted laugh, Jusis felt a gloved hand graze his shoulder. He turned to find Arnauld standing behind his chair.

"You have a visitor, Lord Jusis," the butler informed him.

"A visitor?" Jusis wondered. "Who would want to see me at this hour?"

"Ah, it seems she came sooner than expected…"

Jusis looked to find his brother displaying his trademark all-knowing smile. "What do you mean?" he asked him.

"I figured you would appreciate some company for your last night in Bareahard," Rufus explained. "So, I sent word to Lord Voltaire's manor, and they were more than delighted to send a representative over."

Given the pronoun he had used, Jusis could hazard a guess as to who his visitor was. "But I…"

"It's best not to keep a guest waiting," he advised him. "It would also be prudent for the two of you to exchange stories so you can better write your report, as I'm sure your classmates would agree."

Jusis looked to his classmates. To his dismay, they were all looking at him with varying degrees of acceptance. He particularly had to keep himself from looking at the evil smirk Regnitz was directing towards him.

"This is strictly business." Making another bullet point on the list of things he wished his brother never showed to his classmates, Jusis stood up from the dinner table and followed Arnauld to the lobby, where the guest in question was waiting.

"Lea."

"Lord Jusis." The red-haired girl stood up from her chair and gave a small curtsy. "How are you faring?"

"Rather well, all things considered." He put his hands on his hips. "I heard that you came to the aid of my classmates. Color me surprised."

"It started out as a whim, to be honest," Lea said, trying to play her actions down. "I had no intentions of getting involved in the first place, but…"

"But…?"

Lea started fidgeting with her dress and looked away. "I...I overheard that you were in danger, so I felt like I had to do something. After that...well…"

Jusis was glad Lea was looking away; if she weren't, she would have noticed the faint blush that had suddenly appeared on his face. He cleared his throat to recompose himself before speaking again. "Putting that aside, I have also become aware that that was not your only contribution, correct?"

Lea looked to him in surprise. "Eh?"

"On the way back, my brother and instructor notified us that they attained some help from a civilian in locating the waterway. Since my classmates told me of how you led them there in the first place, it only stands to reason that you were also the civilian that they had encountered." Jusis looked around him to see a few guests loitering around the lobby. "Would you care to explain how that occurred? We can take this outside if you wish."

Lea exhaled. "I'm certain that whatever you're thinking of couldn't be further from the truth." She followed him outside as he held the door for her. "Here's what happened…"

Fie

Contrary to how she presented herself to others, Fie was far more perceptive of other people's feelings than they would expect; you'd make a terrible jaeger if you didn't learn how to pick up nonverbal cues, after all. And in the hours following their trip to save Machias, she kept her eyes on one member of Group A that had undergone a subtle change in their emotions: Morgan.

What sort of changes, one may ask? Well, putting aside how "vigilant" she was acting in the underground waterway, the way she looked at others, namely Jusis and Fie herself, indicated that she felt some sort of guilt. Guilt about what? Unfortunately, Fie didn't know the answer to that one; she made observations, not educated guesses. Perhaps it could all be chalked up to post-mission nerves, but after spending two nights with Morgan in the same room and talking about their respective origins, Fie could say with some confidence that she knew her classmate's overall behavior.

Basically, Morgan was direct and wasn't afraid to let anyone or anything get in her way. She also possessed a tactical genius that was far beyond her years and a sense for combat that could only be honed through actual fighting. But despite her physical prowess she was prone to fits of ditziness every now and then. Tuning things out, forgetfulness, the occasional shout when she connected all the dots together, little stuff like that. The point is, if there was a time where she dodged around an issue or spoke vague answers and she wasn't simply acting like a ditz, then that meant something was up. And it wasn't something as simple as asking her the question outright; even though she left much to be desired, Morgan knew how to change the subject.

So when Morgan dozed off on the train ride back with everyone in attendance, Fie decided then and there to pop a few questions.

"You think she's really asleep?"

Sara, the resident expert on power napping (second only to Fie herself, of course), inspected her. "Yup. Judging from how she's breathing, she's all tuckered out. Why do you ask?"

"Cause I've got a few questions I want to ask you." She looked to the other occupants in the train booth. "All of you."

"Are you referring to your background as a jaeger?" Jusis asked.

That caught Sara's attention. "Oh, you told them already?"

"It was necessary," Fie replied. "Had to use a few explosives to bust Machias out. I'll have to ask old Micht to get some more when we get back."

"The pawn shop?" Machias half-exclaimed. "THAT'S where you've been getting those?"

"Keep it down, will you?" Fie hushed him, looking over her shoulder to check that Morgan was still asleep. "Yeah, Micht can get his hands on anything, but that's besides the point." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "It's about Morgan."

"Morgan?" Rean looked to their sleeping classmate. "What about her?"

"What do you guys think about her?" she asked, to which she was met with several odd looks. "I mean in terms of personality, not whether you, you know, like her."

The three boys thought about her question for about half a minute.

"She's dependable, for one," Rean finally spoke. "Both times I asked her to accompany me to the Old Schoolhouse, she was instrumental to our success. Even outside of combat, she's always ready to lend a hand if you ask her. I guess we're a bit alike in that sense."

"I think she's a really hard worker," Machias followed up. "If she doesn't know something, she'll put her mind to getting at least a basic understanding before proceeding onward. That mentality has helped her excel in academics, although I have noticed that she is prone to zoning out when she's concentrating on something."

"I haven't interacted with her all that often, to be honest," Jusis admitted, "but I can tell that she isn't bothered with the class system, which can be both a bane and a boon. She treats nobles and commoners alike with the same amount of friendliness. That, and she's gifted in the art of tactics, as Rean mentioned earlier."

"Why are you asking us?"

Instead of replying to Rean's question, Fie directed her attention towards Sara. "I'll be blunt: Sara, who is she?"

Rean, Machias, and Jusis all looked to their violet-haired instructor, who only raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Morgan is Morgan. Doesn't matter what she's been through in the past or what she is now."

"That's not the point…" Fie grumbled. "You must've seen something in her files. What can you tell us about her background?"

"Why are you so eager to find out, Fie?" Sara leaned in closer with a rare stern expression directed on her face. "I can understand why you feel some sort of kinship with her, but just because you revealed your background doesn't automatically make you entitled to know everyone else's."

"Well, I…"

'I want to understand her.'

"Even still…" Sara continued. "Any information regarding her background is not for me to disclose. I CAN tell you that she came from Heimdallr, but you'll have to figure out the rest on your own." She then looked to the person in question, who had somehow remained asleep throughout the discussion. "You sure you don't want to ask her right now?"

Fie shook her head. "Never mind."

'I want to understand what makes her feel guilty.'

"I'm sure she'll tell us in her own time," Rean assured her. "This month's field study was pretty heavy. I don't mean any offense when I say this, but neither of us expected to learn about you or Jusis, and now that we have…" He closed his hand into a fist. "Maybe she needs time to reflect on her own past. I know I do."

Machias nodded in agreement, his expression notably softer than usual. "You two certainly set the standard when it comes to backstories. It was courageous, I'll admit, but that puts the rest of us in a precarious position. How do we respond to it, even if we can?"

'I want to get to know her better.'

Fie stopped momentarily when she thought that. When was the last time she was ever invested in getting to know someone? She had almost forgotten. A jaeger's life was never constant, always moving from one job to the next, never given a chance to establish connections. Even the other members of Zephyr, as close as family as they were, knew that some of them would have to depart sooner than others, so they were careful with what, and to whom, they could or couldn't share. So now that she had the time…

"Fie?"

If Fie were a cat, her ears would be standing straight up. "It's nothing," she answered Rean.

Now that she was looking with hindsight, Fie realized that despite them opening up to each other over the past few days, she still knew relatively little about her fellow auslander. At least, compared to how much she knew about her.

Morgan was direct and wasn't afraid to let anyone or anything get in her way. She also possessed a tactical genius that was far beyond her years and a sense for combat that could only be honed through actual fighting. But despite her physical prowess she was prone to fits of ditziness every now and then. Tuning things out, forgetfulness, the occasional shout when she connected all the dots together, little stuff like that.

This month's field study added several new aspects to her personality. She was willing to listen to other people's problems, even if she didn't know the answer to some of them. She could be nosy when it came to learning about others, but when it came to her own background she was careful about choosing her words. She gave off the impression that she was more powerful and skilled than she let on, yet she chose not to reveal it for reasons unknown. And if her earlier comments were to be believed, she also happened to be a descendant of foreign royalty. Fie wasn't sure what to make about that last part, but the thought of someone like Morgan being some long-lost princess or something was amusing to say the least.

'I want to try...giving people a reason to trust me.'

But in order for that to happen, she had to be the one to start being honest with others.

And there was only one way she could think of that could accomplish that.

Lea

Lea made her way up the stairs and back onto Station Street. Fortunately, there didn't appear to be anyone in the surrounding vicinity, so no one should have seen her or Jusis's classmates perform their little stunt by the entrance to the underground waterway. If she was by herself, there would be little cause for concern; the locals had long since given up on trying to keep her and Jusis away from the underground waterway. It acted as their "secret spot" of sorts, where they could run around freely without being under the supervision of all those stuffy adults. Well, maybe that wasn't necessarily true; Rufus, Jusis's brother, was always nice to them, and Ralph was one of the few people in the world she trusted with all her heart. But sometimes, people just wanted to be left to their own devices.

"Excuse me. You! Little lady in red!"

'...Crap.'

She turned around to find a blonde-haired man wearing a white jacket walking towards her. He had a relaxed smile on his face, possibly to imply that he meant no harm, but Lea knew better. Anyone with ulterior motives would approach someone with a friendly demeanor, only to stab them in the back later.

"Is something the matter?" she asked curtly.

"Yeah, actually," the blonde man responded. "Listen, I was hoping you could help me with a little something…"

Lea went on the defensive. "I have no interest in any of your special 'jobs'; if you're looking for new hires, I highly recommend you go find another city."

"Whoa, whoa!" The blonde man raised both his hands. "Do I really look like one of those sleazebags to you?"

"..."

The blonde man looked at his attire and sighed. "Okay, fair point. Look, I saw you with those kids down there. They're students of a friend of mine, and I've been keeping an eye on them from a distance, so I know the whole story."

"And not once did you think to help?"

"Well, I WAS going to tip them off in the right direction, but they went into the jewelry store instead of the bar, and the next thing I know, they're already moving to the waterway!" He shrugged. "Can you blame me?"

"Maybe for being lousy help."

The man scratched the back of his head. "Well, I can't argue with that."

Lea was mildly surprised that the man readily admitted such a fact. Perhaps he wasn't as bad as she initially thought…

"I don't have much freedom to help people directly these days," the man continued, "so the most I can do is do things behind-the-scenes. Case in point, I told my friend about all this, and she's coming over as fast as she can. She even said that she brought along a director from the academy." He crossed his arms. "The point is, you helped those students, so I'd like it if you could give a short testimony to get everyone up to speed. Oh, your personal information will remain confidential, of course."

"And how do I know that I can trust you?"

"Because I used to go down there to get rid of the monsters. That was an old routine of mine, when I used to be stationed here." From his jacket pocket, the man procured an orbment with a symbol of a gauntlet in front of a shield emblazoned on the cover. "The name's Toval, and I'm a bracer. Does that work enough?"

...

"...after that, he took me to see your instructor and Lord Rufus. I filled them in on what happened, they headed to the underground waterway, and...well, you know the rest."

"Were you aware that my brother was a director at the academy?"

Lea shook her head. "I was just as surprised as the rest of you were, but Lord Rufus IS known to be a man of many secrets, even amongst the other members in the Noble Faction. I'm more surprised that he never mentioned it once to you."

"Actually, he deliberately withheld that information just so he could see my reaction," Jusis grumbled.

Somehow, Lea wasn't surprised in the least. Engaging in "brotherly teasing" was one of Lord Rufus's favorite pastimes. "That must have been a sight to see. How is your jaw? Did it hit the floor?"

"I'll leave that to your imagination," he replied. "But to return to the matter at hand, you played a crucial part in all of this. Were it not for your intervention, my other classmates and I would likely be in less-than-ideal circumstances, and for that, I thank you."

He lowered his head to show his sincerity. For any regular person, a member of the Four Great Houses lowering their heads would reduce them to a blubbering, flattered mess. But to Lea…

"The son of House Albarea, personally thanking me?" she quipped. "Someone pinch me; I must be dreaming."

"A simple 'you're welcome' would suffice."

"Now that is something I cannot do. We both know I have a reputation to maintain."

"We're by ourselves now, last I checked." It was true. For some reason, she and Jusis had subconsciously drifted to the lower levels of the city and were now standing outside the entrance to the underground waterway. It was admittedly ironic that they had gone to the place Jusis and his classmates had just escaped from, but it was the spot they frequently went to if they wanted to have a private conversation in the past. "You are free to let your hair down, as they say."

"I don't think I'm familiar with that phrase," she said. "Would you care to enlighten me?"

Jusis gave a rare smirk. "I see no need to. You're already doing fine."

He looked up to the sky, which had grown darker to signal the transition from dusk to night. The moon had risen high enough for the two of them to catch a glimpse of its waxing crescent shape.

"The moon is beautiful tonight."

Those words sent alarms ringing through Lea's head. "Wh-Wh-What?!"

The younger Albarea looked at her oddly. "What has gotten into you all of a sudden?"

"W-Well...I-I mean…" Lea could hardly get the words out of her mouth, which only made her even more embarrassed. At this point, she was sure that her face was about as red as her hair.

"I was merely observing the moon," Jusis said nonchalantly. "There's no need to get so flustered."

"O-Oh, of course…" She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. 'Jusis...you do know what that means, don't you?'

Lea wouldn't consider herself an expert on every idiom commonly used by the nobility, but reading certain novels was enough to give her a basic idea of the most notable ones, and one phrase in particular was synonymous with confessing one's love to another. The exact origin of the phrase was unknown as far as Lea was concerned, but repeated use in a number of prominent novels, particularly in those belonging to the romance genre, cemented it as a mainstay of literary culture.

Of course, that also meant that people who weren't as well-versed had a chance to simply say it with no consequence, which appeared to be the case with Jusis. Lea mentally berated herself for getting flustered over nothing.

"It's interesting…" he spoke once more, garnering Lea's attention. "The moon appears the same no matter where you are in the world, but looking at it again from Bareahard after being away for two months… It feels different. Nostalgic, even. I wonder if this is proof that my time at the academy has affected me…"

"...Is that necessarily a bad thing?"

Her words appeared to have startled him. She began to walk slowly to his side.

"Change is something that happens to everything. Even things that appear constant are affected by the passage of time. People always look to who they were in the past to measure their change, but they don't realize that by being alive, they're already one step further from who they once were. I know for a fact that I can never be the person I was yesterday." Her voice lowered. "And it's not like I have a past to look back on, anyways…"

"Lea…" Jusis's expression softened. "So your memory still hasn't…?"

She shook her head. "Every time I try to remember, it eludes me. My parents, my time before meeting Ralph...he hasn't given up on finding a cure, you know. He continues to persist, even after I've told him that there are things medicine can't fix. But for all I know, I could be a completely different person than I was previously; that's why I've more or less stopped caring about how much I have changed." She held a hand to her chest. "I've embraced that the person I am now is the result of change."

Jusis merely stood there silently after her little speech. Then, he exhaled and said, "Is this your way of telling me to not be afraid of change?"

"Take my words however you like," Lea replied. "I felt that sharing my experience would assist you with handling yours." She looked to the moonlit sky. "We are busy with our own duties these days, but I can still feel it. We are still kindred spirits, are we not?"

"Social pariahs hidden in plain sight…" he mused, his mouth curving slightly upwards. "I suppose no matter how much we change, there are still some things that remain constant, no?"

She giggled at that. "...Hey, Jusis?"

"Yes?" he responded.

She looked to him and smiled. "You're right. The moon IS beautiful tonight."

Jusis looked mildly surprised that she had addressed him so casually, but it didn't seem to bother him. "Glad you share my sentiments for once," he commented.

The two of them stood in silence for a little while longer, looking at the night sky while listening to the sound of running water.

Somehow, Lea had a sinking feeling that they wouldn't be able to share a night like this for a long time.

Morgan

The first thing Morgan after waking up was sneeze a few times. Somehow, she had a sneaking suspicion that people had been talking about her behind her back. At least, that was how the superstition went, anyway.

It was around noon by the time she and the other members of Group A arrived back in Trista. Group B was not due to come in for another half-hour or so, and Class VII was collectively exempt from classes for the rest of the day due to coming back on a Monday, so the students had the entire afternoon to wind down and relax.

For Morgan, however, there was one last thing she had to do before turning in. After dropping off her weapon in her dorm room, she made her way to the academy and turned the corner to the Engineering Building. Immediately, she noticed that the orbal bike was resting outside the building with the covers off. She could also make out some voices as she drew nearer to the door.

"...so he asked me, 'What does she find attractive in a man?'" Morgan instantly recognized this voice as Crow's. "And you know what I said?"

"I'm not sure I like where this is going…" another voice, this one sounding like George's, replied.

"Well, I, for one, am interested," spoke an unfamiliar female voice. "So? Let's hear it, and just so you know, I'm judging this."

"Angie, don't try and goad him!" warned another female voice, this one sounding like Towa's.

Morgan decided to open the door at this time, promptly interrupting the conversation. Her eyes wandered to the small table near the back of the building, where, as predicted, Crow, George, Towa, and an unfamiliar woman were gathered. The last of the group stood out the most, as she possessed short purple hair and wore a black leather biker suit, nothing like the appearances of any of the other students at Thors. Morgan wondered if she was even a student at all.

"Hey," she greeted them. "Sorry, was I interrupting something?"

"Hey, Morgan!" George greeted back. "When did you guys get back?"

"Just now, actually." She patted the pouches around her waist. "And I've brought some extra goodies."

She took off her belt and handed it to George, who looked happy to take it off her hands. As he stepped aside to sort the contents, the purple-haired woman stood up from her seat and moved closer to Morgan. "So you're the Morgan I've been hearing about?" she asked.

"Uh, yes," Morgan responded. "I'm Morgan Daraen. And you are…" Her voice trailed off as the purple-haired woman had hunched forward and started shifting her position so she could scrutinize her every feature. Then, the woman's face suddenly broke into a toothy grin before she enveloped Morgan in a sudden bear hug, causing her to yelp in surprise.

"Ooh, I like this one!" the woman crooned as she nuzzled Morgan. "Her frame is nicely agile, but there's also a fair amount of strength to back it up! Just the right amount of vim and vigor, and yet there's something exotic about her, too!"

"U-Uh...you're welcome?" Morgan tried to protest further, but the woman's hold was firm. Not helping matters was that her face was right in the center of the woman's...generous assets.

"A-Angie…" Towa spoke up. "Can't you see you're making her uncomfortable?"

Crow sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "And THIS is why I told her to run…"

Eventually, the woman was forced to release her hold when George came back to hand Morgan her belt. Feeling flushed from the stench of leather, she had to take a moment to breath before she put her belt back on. "So…" Morgan addressed to the purple-haired woman. "I'm guessing you're Angelica?"

"That's right. I see my reputation precedes me." The giddy smile that had been plastered onto her face a moment before lessened to a cool grin. "I'm Angelica. Angelica Rogner, but feel free to call me Angie, sweetie." She added a wink at the end.

"Angelica Rogner…" She mouthed the last word a few more times. "Rogner...Rogner...Oh!" Her eyes widened with realization. "Like Marquis Rogner of the Four Great Houses!"

"Yeah, the very same." She placed a hand on her chest. "I'm his only daughter. Course, he doesn't really want to have anything to do with me."

"Gee, I wonder why…" Crow snarked behind her.

"Oh, shut it, you!" Angelica snapped right back. "Wait, actually, scratch that. You still haven't finished your story yet."

"What WERE you guys talking about?" Morgan asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

"Okay, so there's this dude, right?" Crow began. "Noble from Class I or II with purple hair. He sees Gelica and starts following her. I was on my way to class, so I confronted him, but then he recognizes me as one of the guys who hangs around her, so he asked me, 'What does she find attractive in a man?' And you know what I said?" He started corpsing, but he forced himself to continue. "'She doesn't. She'd check out his girlfriend instead.'"

Both he and Angelica started howling. George and Towa, meanwhile, were less than enthusiastic.

"Crow, that's horrible!" Towa said. "You just turned him off! Don't you agree, George?"

"Honestly, I'm more resigned to the fact that that's totally something Angie would do…" he responded.

Morgan tilted her head to the side in confusion. "I'm not sure why it's funny, but from the sounds of it, Angelica, er…" She wondered how to best phrase her sentence without offending anyone. "Do you happen to...you know…"

"Swing that way?" the purple-haired woman bluntly asked. "Yes, and proudly so. Not to rag on men too much, but I personally find women to be much more tolerable to look at." She then clapped both her hands together in apology. "Hope you didn't mind me getting all hands-on earlier; sometimes when I see a cute face, I just can't help myself!"

"I-It's fine. I was just...surprised is all." Her glance drifted towards the only other female in the room. "Life must be tough, huh, President Towa?"

"Oh, it's not so bad," the petite president giggled. "Angie's a really great friend once you get to know her. She's helped me more times than I can count!"

"This coming from the hardworking student council president herself? I'm touched!" Angelica immediately went over to her friend and started cuddling with her. "Anything for you, my sweet, darling Towa."

"C-Come on, Angie…" Towa tried to pry the leather-clad female off of her, but Morgan noticed that the gesture was more friendly than forceful. "Not in front of our underclassman…!"

Morgan smiled. "So this is the gang, huh? You all seem pretty close. I have to admit, I'm a bit envious."

"What are you talking about?" Crow gave an odd look. "You've got your classmates, don't you? Plus, you work part-time for George, so you're basically one of us, too."

"You think so?" Morgan responded. "I mean, you all seem to be well acquainted with each other."

"That's just the result of a years' worth of effort," George assured her. "Can't exactly build something like trust overnight, you know?"

"Yeah, and it's not like class means anything to us," Crow added. "I mean, just take a look at Gelica! Her dad's one of the Empire's bigwigs, but she doesn't let social norms get in the way of her raging libido. No woman in Zemuria is safe from those grubby little hands, let me tell you."

"These grubby little hands'll send you to next week if you keep that up…" Angelica warned ominously, raising a fist.

"I wouldn't mind." Crow put his hands behind his head. "Gives me an excuse to miss that quiz in Mustache Man's class."

Morgan couldn't help but snort at that. "Mustache Man?"

Towa looked appalled. "Th-That's not a very nice thing to call Vice Principal Heinrich!"

George exhaled. "And now I can't unhear that."

"Hmm, maybe I should start calling him that too…" Angelica pondered.

"Not you too, Angie!"

A mental image of the vice principal appeared in Morgan's head. As the words "Mustache Man" started playing on repeat, she could feel her capacity to take him seriously slipping by the second.

"You can't build trust overnight…" Morgan mumbled to herself.

"Hey, speaking of nicknames!" Crow pointed his index finger at Morgan. "Morgs!"

She blinked in response. "Uh...what now?"

"Morgs!" Crow repeated. "I've been thinking about a nickname for you, and I came up with that! What do you think?"

A beat passed without anyone saying a word before Morgan said, "...No."

"Hey, you keep calling me names," he pointed out. "I gotta return the favor!"

She made a face and shook her head. "No, I mean, I don't like it."

"Doesn't stop you from calling me 'Trickster' all the time."

"At least I told why it made sense," she countered. "Yours sounds too much like the plural for 'morgue', and I'm not exactly the dreary type."

"I dunno…" Crow rubbed his chin. "You shot me down so many times, I feel kinda dead inside."

"Honestly, Crow…" Angelica piped up. "A girl's nickname should be cute and perky! It's gotta be something like…" She proceeded to start mumbling to herself.

"You don't have to come up with a nickname," Morgan said. "I'm fine with just Morgan."

"Morgie? No, that just defeats the purpose. Morgana? Nah, that's too long. Oh! I know!" Angelica mimicked Crow's gesture and pointed her index finger. "Let's call you Mona!"

Morgan blinked in response once again. "...Huh?"

"Yo, that's WAY too different from the original!" Crow pointed out.

"But it's shorter, cuter, and rolls off the tongue better," Angelica retorted. "You boys need to think outside the box when it comes to nicknames!"

"You took out the R and G."

"Ah, who needs 'em! You have to admit she's more of a Mona more than a Morgs."

"That...makes no sense."

The school bell rang loudly at that moment.

"Guess that's the end of lunch break," Angelica said. "We'll pick this up later. Been nice meeting you, Mona."

Morgan could only wave her hand good-bye as Angelica, still clad in leather, was the first person out the door.

"You got classes after this?" Crow asked her.

Morgan gave a playful sneer. "Actually, since we came back today, we're free for the rest of the afternoon."

"For real?" Crow's voice was dripping with jealousy. "Lucky ducks. Maybe if I sneak out now, Mustache Man won't notice-"

"Oh no you don't!" Towa suddenly appeared behind him. "If you miss any more than this, you won't be able to graduate by the end of this year! You're going to class, Crow, and that's final!"

To compound her statement further, Towa tried to push Crow to the exit, but due to the massive difference in their heights, it came across as more comical than threatening. Eventually, the taller of the two gave in and begrudgingly left the building.

"I gotta close up shop right now," George said. "It was nice of you to drop by when you could."

"No worries." Morgan raised her hand. "See you later, George!"

As she exited the Engineering Building, her ARCUS started ringing. She retrieved it and spoke into it. "Hello?"

"Hello, Morgan. It's Machias," said the person on the other end. "Group B just came back, and we're all going to submit our group reports soon. But before that…" He paused for a moment. "Well, we discussed this on the way back while you were asleep, and we felt it was necessary to go over certain parts of our report, so Rean called everyone to hold an emergency meeting. It would be best if you came here as soon as possible; I think Fie could use your moral support."

"Fie?" It took a few moments for everything to click. "So, that means you're going to tell them-"

"Basically everything? That's right," Machias affirmed. "Actually, it was Fie's idea to tell them in the first place. She believed it was the best course of action to act honestly moving forward."

"...I'll be right there." Morgan hung up and immediately started running as fast as she could to the Class VII dorm. There was no way she was going to miss such a momentous occasion.

Machias

Machias had secretly hoped that they could just say he and Jusis made up and be done with the meeting. But alas, as his father always put it, there are some things in life where you can't take the easy way out.

The meeting began in earnest once Morgan returned from her little errand. Group B did the honors of going first by describing the main event of their field study: as Sara had described briefly, they had discovered that the Imperial Army was making moves to improve their armaments and found themselves right in the center of a growing conflict between the armies of both factions.

"There were multiple points where a conflict was close to breaking out," Emma recounted. "Fortunately, Marquis Hyarms was able to keep everything under control."

"I was surprised at how willing he was to help us," Alisa added. "The field study tasks he gave us were placed deliberately out of harm's way so we could observe things from a safe distance."

"From the sounds of things, he seems like an affable person," Machias remarked. "Very different from the things I've heard about his son around school…"

"Regnitz, now is not the time to gossip behind people's backs," Jusis reprimanded him. "Though I must admit, I can't help but be envious that he has someone like the marquis as a father…"

"Jusis…" Machias, along with the rest of Group A, looked on with sympathy.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking…" Elliot piped up. "Is it just me, or have the two of you...you know…"

"The air between them does seem to have cleared," Gaius said, sharing his friend's sentiment.

"In that case…" Morgan spoke. "I believe a physical demonstration is in order. Machias? Jusis? If you would?"

Machias blinked at the sound of his name. "W-Wait, what?"

Jusis looked just as surprised. "I don't recall this being part of the plan."

"Well, we may as well use this to transition into our report," Rean figured. "Just roll with it."

With Rean's approval, Machias locked eyes with Jusis and nodded. He held up his ARCUS, as did the younger Albarea, and together they created an ARCUS link with little trouble.

Group B looked very pleased with the results.

"You guys can link with each other now!" Alisa exclaimed.

"That's great!" Emma clapped her hands together with joy.

Gaius nodded with approval. "Congrats, you two."

"Allow me to extend my congratulations as well," Laura said with a chuckle.

"So how did you guys manage to do it?" Elliot asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

"Well, we're going to get to that." Rean looked to Fie, who silently replied with a small nod. "Unfortunately, the path leading up that wasn't exactly the easiest one…"

Group A recounted the notable events of their field study, from the failed attempt at linking that ended in Rean's injury to Machias's arrest by the provincial army to their eventual jailbreak that ended with their first successful battle. To say that their journey wasn't the easiest one was an understatement.

And when it came time to explaining how exactly they managed to bust Machias out of prison, Fie stood up and said her piece. "I did it. I was the one who broke him out."

"How did you manage to do that?" Gaius asked.

"With this." She procured from one of her pouches a small portable explosive and slid it across the table so Group B could have a look. "Can you guess what that is?"

Each of the students took their turns inspecting the circular disk. Emma looked bewildered by it, as did Gaius. Laura flipped the explosive over, surprised at the plasticity of the object, but nonetheless shook her head. Elliot...almost looked like he recognized it, but he didn't say anything as he handed it to Alisa.

"This material…" Alisa pressed against the object with her fingers and gave it a sniff. "Isn't this...Composition-4?"

"Composition…?" Emma looked even more perplexed.

"Otherwise known as C-4," Alisa explained. "It's a sort of plastic that's designed to stick onto any kind of surface. Normally, it's pretty harmless on its own, but when you combine it with a certain chemical agent…" She slid the disk across the table. "It becomes an all-purpose explosive."

The other members of Group B promptly displayed varying degrees of surprise on their faces.

"You're pretty sharp," Fie complimented her.

"I'm surprised you were able to deduce it so quickly," Jusis added.

"Uh, I come from Roer?" Alisa reminded everyone. "And the Reinford Company used to sell firearms? It's basically local knowledge. Yeah, that's it."

"Suuure…" For some reason, Fie remained unconvinced at Alisa's reason, almost as if she was silently accusing her of hiding something…

"Still, that begs the question…" Alisa continued. "What are you doing with something like that?"

"Old habits die hard," Fie bluntly stated. "Back when I used to fight all the time."

"What…?" Laura murmured.

And so, Fie told them the truth: for the past two months, all of them had been sharing a class with a jaeger. Well, FORMER jaeger now, but the effect was the same.

Machias looked at the members of the other group. Gaius remained stone-faced, as he usually did. Elliot looked like he was having difficulty processing the entire thing. Alisa looked troubled, but she still nodded regardless. Emma looked...surprisingly sympathetic, even impressed at the younger girl's courage to reveal her background.

That only left Laura, though from the looks of things she appeared rather impassive-wait.

It was only for a few moments, but Machias saw it: a very unpleasant scowl on the blue-haired noble's face. Then, just as easily as it appeared, it vanished.

He immediately looked to the other members of his group, but from the looks of it, neither of them had noticed.

'Was that just my imagination?' Machias thought to himself.

Just as Class VII had resolved one dispute among two of their members, another feud had seemingly come to take its place. And from the looks of things, resolving it would have to take far more than just finding common ground.

Machias recalled another phrase his father often used in situations like these: "out of the frying pan into the fire."

END OF CHAPTER 2

Author's note: With that, another chapter comes to a close. Once again, thank you all for reading. If you liked what you read, feel free to give a favorite or a review. If you didn't...eh, I tried my best.

I may as well say this right now: things from this point onward are going to get heated for certain characters. The first two arcs were more or less testing grounds for finding the right writing style, and now that they're done, I'm ready to go full-throttle into the next arc! Well, assuming IRL things don't screw me over.

But before all of that happens, since we've the end of another arc, it's time for some more intermission chapters! The next chapter will slightly be on the exposition side to slow the pace down, but I'm sure it'll still find ways to blow you away all the same. Look forward to it!

Rean

The scene constantly played back in his mind. The way she threw the grenade into the air and borderline vanished from sight. The way she swiftly and professionally weaved around the armored canine and leaped into the air right as the thrown object reached its peak. The way she, simply put, made quick work of the monster like it was nothing.

It was most certainly not the cleanest way of doing things, but Rean didn't care about that. What DID matter was that Fie Claussell, at the current moment, could easily be the strongest member of Class VII provided that she had a reason to try.

If Rean was ever going to match something like Fie's "Sylphid Dance", then he needed to become even stronger...even faster.

But there was also a catch: he also wanted to get stronger on his own terms.

After seeing his classmate's full power, something inside him sparked. Perhaps this was a result of that competitive streak Morgan had highlighted at the beginning of their field study, but Rean was motivated. Motivated to return to the path of the blade.

Rummaging through the trunk in his closet which he had used to move certain valuables from home to the academy, he found what he was looking for: a thin, cylindrical case. He unsealed the top and tipped the cylinder so its contents were spilled, catching the scroll with his free hand.

He was probably the least qualified person to ever take up the sword, but the reason he had done so in the first place had reignited again. With that reason burning stronger than it's ever been, he opened the scroll and began to review its contents carefully.

Rean wanted to become stronger on his own terms.

If he could become stronger in his current form, he wouldn't have to resort to using his power again.