Group B caught up to Holly, who was informed that Anton had run further inland without any supervision, much to his friend's dismay. Feeling that this fell under the scope of their field study, the students decided to help track down Anton before he could find himself in serious trouble. Before they left, however, Laura and Fie told everyone that they wanted to try fighting together for this skirmish.
Following the direction in which Anton had gone, the group eventually found him running for his life from the Ancient Ossa. After a well-placed barrage of orbal arts from Morgan and Elliot, the students were able to successfully grab the monster's attention, ensuring that Anton had plenty of ample time to escape. Then, they split up into their assigned roles, with Laura and Fie taking the front, Machias right behind them with his shotgun, and Morgan and Elliot using arts from the rear.
All things considered, getting Laura and Fie to link together was surprisingly easy. In fact, considering how little time they had beforehand to prepare, it was a miracle that they were able to form an ARCUS link at all. However, there was a catch. As the fighting ensued, Laura and Fie showed that despite successfully establishing a combat link, they weren't utilizing the ARCUS links to their fullest potential. When two people link up through the ARCUS's combat link system, they begin to experience a "resonating" feeling with their partner, allowing them both to become unconsciously aware of the other's thoughts and motions in combat. Instead of using this function to perform attacks together, however, Laura and Fie used it to be mindful of each other's presence, carefully striking and attacking in a way that didn't inhibit the performance of the other person.
In other words, they were fighting together, but they weren't exactly fighting together.
The Ancient Ossa beat its chest and charged forward on all fours with its curled horns aimed forward. All the members of Group B managed to avoid the attack, but now their positions were reversed. Now it was Morgan and Elliot in the front, followed by Machias, Laura, and Fie.
"It's pretty fast for a giant monkey!" Elliot yelped.
"One opening's all we need!" Morgan assured her partner.
The Ancient Ossa turned around and screeched, apparently annoyed that it had completely missed. It performed a somersault roll forward and raised its arm to strike the ground.
Transitioning from support to offense, Morgan sidestepped out of the way of the monster's attack and broke into a combat roll when her feet touched the ground. Then, when she was in an upright position again, she leapt from the ground and performed a spinning slash. Unsurprisingly for a monster of its stature, its hide was very thick, but Morgan's attack let her draw its attention long enough for Elliot to strike from the other side with his orbal staff. A swarm of glowing bubbles left his staff and exploded upon contact with the monster, causing it to roar.
"It's my turn!" Machias unloaded a round from his shotgun, impeding the monster's movements.
"Following up." Fie swiftly rushed in and struck at the monster's hind legs before retreating. "Got it?"
"Of course," Laura responded as she ran past her partner and took her place in the fray. First, she leapt up while performing an upwards strike. Then, she rotated her body mid-swing and landed with a downwards slash. Finally, she ended her sequence with a horizontal slice. All three of her attacks were positioned in a way that created the outline of a triangle.
The force of Laura's last attack was enough to send the monster reeling to the side. It tried to regain its footing, but due to the damage Fie had done to its back legs, it simply kept spinning around until it veered too close to the edge of a cliff overlooking a body of water by the waterfall. Losing its footing, the Ancient Ossa fell backwards into the water with a big splash.
"D-Did that do it?" Elliot asked.
"I wouldn't celebrate just yet," Morgan warned, taking a few cautionary steps towards the edge of the lake.
But before she could peer over the edge, a giant hairy shadow jumped out of the water, reaching a height that normally shouldn't have been possible for a creature of its size.
"Fall back!" Morgan cried out.
The Ancient Ossa came crashing down with such a force that it caused all the students to momentarily lose their balance. Morgan turned her head in time to see the monster roaring and lumbering towards the student nearest to it. Her eyes widened.
"Fie, look out!"
Fie had stumbled in her attempt to retreat and was now kneeling on the ground. With the monster a few arge away from her, she had no choice but to brace herself for the next oncoming attack and hope that she guessed the right way to dodge.
As it turned out, however, she didn't need to guess. As the giant baboon charged forward, its advance was halted by a large sword.
"Ah!"
"I made it, somehow." Laura pressed further against the monster's head. "I will hold the creature here. You retreat and regroup! Quickly!"
Fie grit her teeth. This was the outcome that she had hoped would never happen again. Another person taking a blow meant for her.
All because she was weak.
Three men stood in a room talking amongst themselves, each person holding a cigarette in his hand.
"Boss, you know we can't have someone babysit her during our operations forever," said a light-skinned man wearing sunglasses. His emerald yellow hair was tied in a ponytail.
The middle-aged man seated across from him shook his head. He had a goatee and short hair that was slicked back. "I know what you're about to say, so don't."
"We were lucky Garcia was the one who stayed behind at the base," the ponytailed man continued regardless. "Guy's practically invincible. If it were anyone else, we'd both be down a member and-"
"I know that!" The man with the goatee slammed his fist against the table. "We'll just have to change our lineup from now on."
"Or we could have the little princess learn how to fight."
"Xeno, I swear if you don't shut your trap, I'll-"
"Then I can speak for him," said the third man. He had a wide, muscular frame, dark skin, and was also wearing sunglasses. "Our scouts have reported that Orlando's niece has been seen taking part in their operations. At this point, age is no longer an important factor keeping anyone off the battlefield."
"Exactly my point!" The ponytailed man opened both his hands at his sunglasses-wearing partner. "We do this right, we can get everyone on deck at a time AND we get a feisty new addition to the team! It's a win-win situation!"
"That ain't the point!"
"Then what is?"
A small child's voice was enough to halt the discussion between the three men. They each turned their head towards the entrance, where a child no older than ten with a silver head of hair stood.
The man with the goatee broke into a warm grin. "Sorry, Fie. Were we too loud?"
"What's the point?" the child reiterated.
"Nothing you need to worry about. Just let us grown-ups handle things-"
"Am I weak?" The child kept piling on the questions.
"F-Fie…" The man with the goatee was understandably downtrodden from the child's frankness. "You're not weak. You're already plenty helpful."
"But I want to be more helpful," the child insisted. "I want to make it up to Mr. Garcia. So I'll do it. Make me part of Zephyr."
"Fie, you don't need to-"
"If I may be so bold…" the dark-skinned man interrupted, holding up his hand. "Fie has already displayed a natural aptitude for learning and adapting. Combine that with her small frame, and she may prove a valuable asset in the area of stealth and espionage."
"She's pretty quick on her feet, too," the ponytailed man added. "Garcia said that she ran circles around the bastard that raided our hideout. Like it or not, Boss, she's already fought her first battle. It's too late to turn back now."
The man with the goatee put a hand behind his head and sighed. He knew that there wasn't much point in fighting a losing battle. "I'll run this by the others tomorrow. I still don't like this, but a leader's gotta listen to his men."
At that moment, the child made a vow to herself. 'My family got hurt because I was weak. If that's how it is, then I won't be weak anymore. I'll keep getting stronger, so no one will get hurt for my sake again.'
But no matter how strong she became, the outcome was the same. Their leader died, and she was left behind…
Fie silently stood up, her bangs covering her eyes.
"Fie…?" Laura was confused as to why her partner wasn't running away.
Fie crossed her gunswords in front of her. "Worry about yourself."
"Wha-?"
Laura's brief moment of confusion allowed the Ancient Ossa to break through her guard. "Ah!"
In the blink of an eye, Fie rushed forward and slashed at the monster's throat, sending it reeling.
"Tear!" Morgan appeared at Laura's side to cast a healing art. "Are you alright, Laura?"
"I-I'm fine…" Laura's gaze fell. "I can't feel her presence anymore."
"What?"
"Our combat link." Laura's hand reached for her ARCUS. "It has severed."
Her eyes remained on her former partner, who was running circles around the Ancient Ossa while taking potshots at it with her firearms.
"I didn't expect this outcome…" Morgan whispered under her breath. "I guess we don't have a choice. I'll take point for now. Laura, you go regroup with the others."
"Are you sure?"
"I don't think Fie's going to be linking with anybody for a while. Meanwhile, I'm the only one who can work with her without an ARCUS." She tried to give Laura a reassuring smile. "We'll try this again some other time; right now, we need to focus on wrapping things up."
The swordswoman solemnly breathed a sigh of resignation. "Very well. I'll follow your lead."
As Laura hoisted herself up, Morgan turned around to shout at the remaining two members. "Machias, link up with Laura! Elliot, keep up the support! I'm going in!"
"Be careful!" Elliot shouted back.
With a nod to each other, Morgan and Laura ran in opposite directions. Squinting her eyes to observe Fie's movements, Morgan noticed the unrestrained, yet efficient manner in which she assaulted the giant baboon. If this were under normal circumstances, Fie's handling of the situation would have been commendable, but this wasn't the objective they had sought to fulfill. She had only seen what had happened from afar, but it looked like Fie and Laura's combat link broke sometime after the latter managed to tank the monster's blow.
Morgan shook her head. This wasn't the time to ask herself what happened. Like she said to Laura, their main objective now was to finish this before anyone could get hurt.
Fie managed to leap onto the monster's back and fire some shots into the back of its neck. Angered, the monster started twirling itself around with its arms outstretched, successfully throwing Fie off. She safely landed on the ground and quickly looked around to get a bearing on her surroundings. Unfortunately for Fie, she had picked a bad spot to land, with the edge of the lake to her right and some rock formations to her left.
'I have to get there now!' Morgan closed her eyes and concentrated. 'Please work!'
Morgan skidded to a halt with one leg in front of the other before popping up and immediately lowering her posture, looking as if she was about to start running. As she bent her knees, Morgan hastily drew from the reserves of excess energy she had accumulated. A gust of wind suddenly burst forth around her, signaling the successful activation of her skill. Morgan began to feel overly energized, similar to how it would feel after drinking too much coffee.
"Shippu…"
Morgan held her axe firmly by her side and took off. Now charging full force towards the monster, she slashed at it before it could attack Fie. As she reached the end of her initial dash and her feet grazed the ground, she immediately repositioned herself so that she was now facing the opposite direction. Morgan readied her axe again.
"...Jinrai!"
She kicked herself off the ground and leapt diagonally upwards. Her second axe swing connected, scoring a decisive blow to the Ancient Ossa's left eye.
In that one moment, Morgan felt nothing but elation as she soared through the air. She had done it! She had successfully used her improvised skill in a real fight, and she even did while in a pinch! It was enough to distract her from the fact that she was rapidly descending towards the rocky terrain with no real way to land safely. The most she could do was stick out her feet so that she could land in an upright position, but because of the speed at which she was traveling, she immediately tripped and fell sideways, rolling like a log until she came to a stop. A splintering pain suddenly came from her right ankle.
'Ooh, I think I pulled something!' Morgan yelped in her head. But now wasn't the time to complain! She had to get back on her feet quickly or else she'd be easy pickings for the monster.
"No, you don't!" A well-timed art courtesy of Machias caused a group of earthen spears to rise from the ground and prevent the primate from moving.
"Vengeance!" Laura raised her sword and struck it against the ground with all her might. With her usual zweihander in hand, there was nothing holding Laura back from unleashing the full might of her "Earth Cleaver" technique, sending a large shockwave that not only staggered the Ancient Ossa, but also severing whatever earthen spears were in the way.
Finally, Fie rushed towards the monster, climbed up its back, and pointed her gunswords at its neck. "Schweigen. It's over."
Two shots were fired in conjunction with a slice from each sword. Fie dropped from the monster's back and landed with feline grace as it toppled behind her.
"Hm?"
Something by Fie's shoe caught her attention. Since it wasn't there beforehand, it must have rolled off of the Ancient Ossa when it fell down. It was colored a strange faded yellow, which contrasted the greyness of the terrain. Was it a bug? Before she could truly discern what it was, however, it curled up and disappeared in a small explosion.
"That was...a bit tougher than expected, but hey! We're still alive!"
Elliot noticed the way Morgan was hobbling over to them while leaning on her weapon for support. "You okay, Morgan?"
"I'm fine! Think I might've pulled something on the way down, but it's no big deal."
Immediately after saying that, she winced as she planted her right leg on the ground. Elliot told her to sit on the ground as he prepared a healing art.
"Thanks for that," Morgan said. "More importantly, we need to make sure that the monster is dead. Fie, could you do the honors?"
"..."
Fie stared at Morgan silently. She had been so focused and determined in battle, but none of that focus or determination remained. Now? Her eyes had a somber look in them.
"Fie?"
"...On it."
Fie pointed her gunswords at the monster and fired five times. One bullet went through the monster's head, two went through each eye, and the last two went through both its pectorals to cover its heart.
"Why must you go to such lengths to ensure that the monster is put down?" asked Laura.
"Just making sure that last month's field study doesn't repeat itself," Morgan answered.
Machias grimaced, as did Fie.
Elliot stood up, his impromptu treatment finished. "I did what I could, but I think you should get your ankle checked on just to be safe."
Morgan rotated her ankle. The pain had mostly subsided, but it still hurt to move it around. "Ooh, yeah. That sounds like a good idea."
"Walking on your own will only make it worse," Laura warned. "Here. Allow me to provide support."
"Thanks, Laura."
Laura lifted Morgan from the ground and put her right arm across her shoulder.
"Take it easy."
"Yes, Mother."
Before they could start walking, a small head appeared from under Morgan's left arm to provide support from the other side.
"Fie?"
"This is my mess," Fie stated while looking straight ahead. "I'm the one who needs to clean up."
Morgan sniffed the younger girl's hair and feigned gagging. "Ugh. Yep, you definitely need to clean up."
That brought some much-needed laughter to the students' faces as they made their slow return to the inn area.
"We're going to need to talk afterwards," Morgan muttered.
Neither Laura nor Fie could muster up the will to look at each other.
"...A sprained ankle," the nurse confirmed. "Fortunately, it's not a major one, so continue applying the healing balm and make sure that you don't move around so much."
"Thank you very much." Morgan lowered her head as the nurse made her exit. Currently, she was back in her room, seated upright in her bed with her lower body covered by sheets. The others had left to inform Tom that they had finished all their field study tasks.
Morgan gently touched her leg. "I guess I really am Rean's replacement, right down to getting hurt during a monster skirmish. I hope this doesn't become the norm…"
A knock came from the door.
"It's open!" Morgan called out.
The door opened to reveal Brittany. "Glad to see you're still in one piece," the co-manager said.
"Glad to be in one piece," replied Morgan. "Huh? Where are the others?"
"Visiting the excavation site. Tom figured that a walk could help them wind down after what happened earlier today."
Morgan couldn't help but pout. "And you didn't invite me…"
"Well, given your current condition, we had every right to skip you." Brittany pulled up a chair next to Morgan's bed. "You had me and Tom real worried when we saw you hanging over your classmates' shoulders like that."
"Sorry to make you worry." Morgan scratched the back of her head. "But hey, that's the sort of thing that happens when you go to a military academy. We have to be prepared to get hurt."
"Well, you aren't wrong about that," Brittany conceded. "That doesn't mean we have to like it, though, and seeing as we're your caretakers for this weekend, your problems are essentially our problems. Imagine what would happen if we had to explain to the school why one of their students came back with a sprained ankle because they refused to sit still for an afternoon."
"That...would be problematic."
"Glad to see that you're quick on the uptake."
"A-Anyways…" Morgan cleared her throat. "Did you come up here just to say hi, or was there something else you wanted?"
"Honestly? I just wanted to check in with you. But coming in just to say hi felt a bit shallow, so I figured that letting you know what your classmates were up to was a good-enough excuse to visit." The older woman shrugged her shoulders. "At any rate, I came and said my piece, so I should probably let you rest…"
"Wait." Morgan held up her hand. "Before you leave, can I ask you something first?"
"Ask me something?" Brittany raised an eyebrow. "What do you want to ask me?"
"This might come off as a bit out-of-the-blue, but…" Morgan figured that since the co-manager of Bryonia Island was here, she may as well ask for advice on how to tackle the feud between Laura and Fie. "Have you ever had to mediate a conflict between two people with different backgrounds?"
"Different backgrounds…" Brittany tapped her foot on the ground. "You mean like a noble versus a commoner?"
"It's slightly more complicated than that," said Morgan. "It's sort of like...it's not just their values and ideals that directly oppose each other. It's almost like their existences serve to contradict the other."
"Th-That sounds like an exaggeration…" Brittany remarked. "Have you...talked with these people yet?"
"Yes, actually."
"What did you talk about?"
"It was right before our class left for our field study, but we established some ground rules moving forward. We agreed that they should try and learn how to work together by the time we came back."
"And did you folks talk about how you were going to accomplish that?"
'By doing field study tasks and fighting monsters together,' was what Morgan wanted to say, butshe stopped herself before she could say it. If she did, either Brittany or Tom would likely try and prevent Laura and Fie from working together to keep the peace, and while that would certainly make things run more smoothly, it would completely defeat the purpose of their field study. "We figured that we'd play by ear until both of them were willing to sit down and talk."
Brittany made a humming noise. "And then what?"
Morgan blinked. "Huh?"
"Say your two people actually decide to have a talk about things. What would you folks talk about? What would happen after that to make sure things stay that way?"
"Uh…" Morgan's voice trailed off. She had thought so intensively about ways to get Laura and Fie to talk to each other that she didn't consider what they would do once they got to that point.
Fortunately, she was saved from having to answer when Brittany interjected. "I'm guessing from the look on your face, that point's still a ways off, am I right?"
Morgan hung her head and nodded. She had hoped that Laura's openness to move on would make things easier, but considering what had happened earlier today, the finish line was probably a lot farther than what Morgan had anticipated.
"Then you should make that your main task for the field study." Brittany held up two fingers. "Your group leaves in two days. That means that you have tonight and tomorrow to make a plan. If you find out that you can't, or you just want to focus on your field study, then that's fine too. You can always try again next time."
"There won't be a next time!"
Brittany was taken aback at Morgan's sudden outburst. Realizing her shift in volume, Morgan put her hands over her mouth.
"I-I'm sorry," Morgan apologized. "I didn't mean to…"
"Morgan." Brittany leaned forward in her chair. "I've had to deal with all sorts of conflicts, and there were some instances where I couldn't do anything to fix things no matter how hard I tried. The one thing you have to realize is that there is always a possibility that you will fail. There's only so much that you can do."
"Are you saying that I should just not intervene at all?"
"I'm saying that you may need to look at things more objectively. If there's nothing you can do, then at least you can say that you tried. Then, you move on. The world won't wait for you to finish your tantrum."
"Tantrum?" Morgan felt offended. "I'm not a kid anymore."
"Then maybe you should reconsider just who you're doing this for." Brittany stood up from her chair. "And on that note, I'm afraid I need to leave. I didn't expect to stay up here for this long. I'm sorry I couldn't be of much help."
Brittany lowered her posture slightly and made her exit, leaving Morgan all alone in the room.
"Isn't it obvious?" Morgan whispered to no one in particular. "I'm doing this for…"
Morgan's hands drifted to two different parts of her body. Her right hand grazed the mark at the small of her back. Her left hand pinched the scar that traveled up the bridge of her nose.
Two sides of a singular coin.
"I need another opinion on this."
During the time when the ancient Bryonians lived on it, the island had been home to a plethora of species that have long since gone extinct. To this day, the remains of these creatures continue to be unearthed at the Bryonia Island excavation site.
But among the many fossils that have been unearthed at the excavation site, there is one notable specimen that literally towers above the rest. According to the records left by ancient Bryonians, a beast of immense proportions suddenly appeared one day and began terrorizing the islanders, forcing them to hide further inland near the caves. Eventually, the Bryonians were forced to migrate from the island after numerous failed attempts to fell the beast. The creature stayed on the island, where it continued feasting on the wildlife until it died from natural causes. As of now, only the creature's skull, upper body, arms, and spine have been found, with the rest of the body likely buried underground. But frankly? The upper body alone was enough to convey just how intimidating the creature was. A feline-esque skull with two large white fangs, a massive rib cage, and wide limbs that, according to ancient records, were powerful enough to cause earthquakes and landslides by simply striking the ground. To the Bryonians, it was called a "Tehra Gigant", or a "Gigantic Terror".
"I'm probably not the only person who has said this," Elliot remarked, "but I'm glad I wasn't born in ancient times."
"Ditto," Machias agreed. "Just the thought of seeing something this massive walking around is enough to send me packing."
"By the way, Machias…" Elliot pointed to the notebook and pencil his classmate was holding in his hands. "I've noticed you've been taking notes this entire time."
Machias looked up momentarily. "Well, since Morgan wasn't able to come along, I figured I might as well jot down some of the things she missed. Between her and Emma, we have quite a few people in Class VII who are interested in this sort of thing."
Elliot nodded. Being a member of the Literature Club, old folk tales and legends definitely sounded like something up Emma's alley. "Speaking of Emma, I wonder how she and the others in Group A are doing."
A bead of sweat dropped from Machias's forehead. "Probably doing much better than we are right now…" he mumbled.
The two boys looked at their female classmates. Laura was talking with Bengt, who had elected to be their tour guide again. Fie, meanwhile, was looking at the ocean while in a crouching position. Without Morgan around to rein her in, Fie was free to do whatever she wanted, and that meant there was nothing stopping the former jaeger from staying as far away from the blue-haired swordswoman as possible.
"There's no way they're going to keep this up the entire time, are they?" Elliot wondered aloud.
Machias put away his writing utensils. "Unless Morgan comes up with some crazy way to get them to make up, I'm not sure how we're going to solve this."
"Isn't there anything we can do to help? Like, I don't know, you can talk about how you were able to make up with Jusis?"
Machias made an irritated face. "The less I think about that upstart, the better."
"But I thought the two of you were on good terms?"
"I'd rather give up coffee for a week than say I'm on good terms with him," the bespectacled teen insisted. "We've simply both agreed to disagree, but coming back to the matter at hand, I don't think the things that worked with us would work with Laura and Fie. I have the feeling things are more complicated than just a difference in opinions."
Elliot nodded his head. Reluctant as he was to admit it, if a solution really was that easy to come across, they surely would have found it by now.
Bengt called all the students together, bringing an end to the boys' discussion. Together, the students and tour guide made their way back to the inn for dinner.
"S-So, everyone!" Machias stammered in an attempt to break the ice. "We pretty much have the rest of the evening to ourselves, don't we? What are you all planning to do after this?"
"Eat dinner, write a report, sleep," was Fie's terse reply.
A beat of silence ensued until it was broken by Machias. "Y-Yeah, that's...pretty much what I figured! Hahaha…"
Elliot leaned in and whispered, "You don't have to try and force it."
"What's your idea, then?" Machias grumbled back.
"I was thinking of checking on Morgan once we get back to the inn," said Laura, promptly saving Machias and Elliot from further embarrassment. "I hope her recovery is coming smoothly."
"R-Right, Morgan!" Machias cleared his throat. "Her injury didn't look too serious, but I am concerned as to how this will affect her combat performance."
Elliot nodded. "Yeah. Morgan moves around a lot when she fights, so hurting her ankle is probably the worst thing that could happen to her. Not to mention that without her, we'll have to pick someone else to take over as field leader."
"She'll be fine."
For the second time during that walk, the group looked at Fie, though the atmosphere was far less tense. "She can still give us orders," she continued. "It's just that she'll be casting arts from the back instead of at the front. Having your tactician at the rear is how most platoons do things, anyways."
Upon hearing a jaeger-related buzzword, Elliot and Machias were half-expecting Laura to exude at least some degree of annoyance. To their surprise, the swordswoman merely responded with a small hum. "Actually, that does bring up an interesting point," she remarked. "Morgan told me that she aspires to be a tactician. To that end, one would normally assume that she would forgo physical capabilities in favor of improving her intellect. Why, then, does she insist on playing an active role in skirmishes?"
"Well, Instructor Neithardt said that a tactician's role is to come up with ways to fulfill an objective during a battle," Elliot remembered. "They're different from strategists in that sense. Maybe Morgan thinks that being in thick of things will help her get a better grasp on tactics? I don't know what kind of person would teach her that, though."
"Her dad," Fie automatically replied. "And according to her, he was no ordinary tactician, so there's that."
"Her father was in the army?" Machias asked.
Elliot cupped his chin. 'That's weird. I've never heard the name "Daraen" before…'
"Fie…" Laura spoke in a warning tone. "I think that's enough talking about Morgan behind her back."
Fie looked away. "I wasn't going to say much, anyways."
"If you're not going to say much, then perhaps you can take this time to reflect on how you're partially responsible for what happened earlier this afternoon."
Fie let out a cat-like growl. Just like that, the atmosphere surrounding the pair grew hostile, much to Machias and Elliot's dismay.
Fortunately for them, the tension was short-lived, as the group had returned to the inn area. Bengt bade farewell to the group once again to drop off his belongings at the island management house.
At that moment, the door to the inn opened, followed by a voice gasping. "Ah!"
The rest of Group B recognized the voice as one of their own, staring in surprise as the girl they were just discussing stepped out of the inn. Morgan was walking with a slight limp, but that didn't stop her from lifting up the sides of her skirt and using her good foot to give a curtsy.
"Welcome home, everyone!" she announced.
Before anyone could say anything, Fie quickly raised her hand and said, "Hey. We're home, Sharon."
"You're back awfully late." Amusingly, Morgan raised her pitch and altered her vowel pronunciation in an attempt to match the maid's voice. "Did you all enjoy yourselves?"
Laura stifled a chuckle. "I suppose we did."
"Yes, I suppose...wait, that's not the point!" Machias pointed his index finger at the black-haired teen. "What are you doing?! Shouldn't you be in bed?"
"I was," Morgan replied, her voice returning to normal. "But then I got bored out of my mind waiting for you, so I applied some healing balm and did some slow walking."
"You shouldn't be walking, period!"
"Don't worry, Machias. The staff made sure that I took plenty of breaks. I also talked to some people, got my fortune read, talked to some more people...oh! Laura, get this!" She leaned in closer to the group. "Remember that request about the missing wallet that Gaius and Alisa did back in Celdic? Well, the person who issued the request is staying here!"
"Truly?" Laura's interest was piqued. "And you are certain that this is the same person?"
"Positive! And better yet, she's the one who's been catching the fish we've been eating in our meals! I managed to catch her while she was bringing in today's...well, catch. Say, have you guys ever had spiky puffer fish?"
"Are those things even edible?" Elliot inquired.
"Well, if they're serving it to us, it has to be! Come on! I want to hear all about the stuff that I missed!"
With that, Morgan hobbled back inside the inn.
"I guess…" Elliot began. "We didn't have anything to worry about?"
Machias adjusted his glasses by the bridge. Laura let herself smile for the first time since the group left for the excavation site. Fie narrowed her eyes before shaking her head and frowning.
"And dooooone!" Morgan put the last period on her paper and leaned back in her chair.
"Already?" exclaimed Laura.
Fie grunted. "I think I'm having déjà vu."
"Don't know what you're talking about." Morgan stood up from her chair and stretched her arms. "And with that, I'm going to start getting ready for bed. Don't stay up too late, both of you."
Her comment caused both Laura and Fie to briefly stop in their writing.
"Wait, just like that?"
"I thought you said we were all going to have a talk later this evening."
Morgan tapped her index finger to her chin and hummed to herself. "Yeah, about that… I've been doing some thinking about this whole thing, and eventually, I came to the conclusion that we may need to rethink our approach to this."
"In what sense?"
Morgan put her hands on her hips. "Tell me, what is it that you two want to do?"
"What we…?"
"...Want to do?"
"We know what we did wrong," Morgan continued, "and we can't change the fact that we did something wrong. What I'm saying is that we can either look at things preventively by talking about things we shouldn't do, or…" She snapped her fingers. "We can look at things restoratively by having the people involved talk about how they're going to proceed moving forward. For that matter, I think a hands-off approach is in order."
Laura and Fie exchanged glances with each other.
"Look, if you two aren't going to be upfront with each other about how you feel, then I'm not going to be upfront about what I think is the best solution either. So this is what we're going to do…" Morgan started limping towards the bathroom and turned around at the door. "I'm going to take a shower, and since I have a sore ankle, I'll probably be in the bathroom for longer than usual. By the time I get out, I expect you two to come up with your own solutions. If I hear anyone try to leave through the door or through the window, I'll personally drag you back, ankle be damned. Good? Good. Have fun."
In one swift motion, Morgan ducked behind the door and closed it shut.
A suspenseful air briefly filled the room as the two girls left stared at the bathroom door before looking at each other once more.
Eventually, Fie was the first to relent. "Well, you heard the lady. What do you think we should do about us?"
In spite of the current situation, Laura couldn't help but crack a smile. All this time, she had been fretting over how to find some one-on-one time with Fie, and all it took was a word from Morgan.
Fie tilted her head. "What?"
"It's nothing major," Laura assured the younger girl. "I'm just amused that you would listen to Morgan so readily."
Fie shrugged her shoulders. "I can't help it. She just gets me. She's like Sara, in a way."
The thought of Morgan as a miniature Sara was both amusing and questionable at the same time. Strong as their homeroom teacher was, there were certainly better role models Laura could think of at the academy, much less Erebonia as a whole.
The water turned on in the bathroom.
Laura put her pen down for the time being. "So? What will it take for me to 'get you'?"
'How about you don't?' was what Fie wanted to reply with. The farther the two stayed from each other, the better for everyone involved.
"Very well. We can start from our previous discussion about protecting others."
Fie sighed. "Figures you wouldn't forget about that."
"The pride of a knight is not something that can be easily repaired when it is damaged," Laura said, "and you, Fie Claussell, have damaged it."
The frank nature in which Laura spoke never ceased to overwhelm Fie. They say that words can never hurt you, but Fie could feel the force behind Laura's statement.
"But…" Laura sighed, promptly allaying some of that force. "Perhaps such a humbling was necessary in order to reflect on my beliefs, especially in regards to what I am about to say next."
Fie shifted her seated position so she could better look at the girl seated across from her.
"During the extermination request…" Laura began. "You told me, 'Worry about yourself.' I do not wish to believe that the decision I made was the wrong one. If I had acted otherwise, it would have been you resting in bed for the entirety of the afternoon instead of Morgan and in much worse condition. Regardless, my mind couldn't move on from those words, and I repeatedly asked myself why someone would refuse my help. Eventually, I came across a premonition that I wish to verify with you now."
"And that is…?"
The swordswoman breathed in. "Fie, do you think that I view you as weak?"
"!"
Fie bit her lip. Of course it was obvious to someone like her. Was she about to patronize her?
But then she spoke again. "If that is so, then you couldn't be further from the truth."
"What?"
"At first, there was something about your strength that I couldn't bring myself to accept," Laura continued. "From the moment we first met, I could tell you were holding back, and considering your build, your combat proficiency is extraordinary. It's simply too far removed from what I've come to know through following the way of the sword."
"No doubt," Fie commented.
"However, that brings me to one of my previous points, that the reason I came to Thors was to open my eyes to things I didn't know previously. Never in my wildest imaginations, however, did I expect to share a class with a jaeger. I can't say that I've ever thought of the jaegers in a particularly favorable light. If one defines knighthood as the way of the virtuous, how can the path of the jaeger be seen as anything but corrupt? I came to believe that because we'd been raised with such strongly opposing values, I could not accept you."
Fie looked down and away. It was a sentiment that she was aware of for a long time, but to have it clearly put out there in the open made it painful to swallow.
"At least, that was until Morgan stepped in."
"Morgan?" Fie snuck a glance at the bathroom door. The water was still running.
Laura's expression softened a little. "You've heard about how the two of us sparred during our free day. In truth, she was offering me an opportunity to see things from a different perspective. Before we began, she told me, 'There are some things in life you can only share with someone by fighting.' After that, I bore witness to a myriad of techniques that I had never seen before in my life. She made me realize that she had been holding back this entire time…" Laura paused to take a breath. "Just like you."
Fie mouthed a small 'Oh'. Things were starting to come together now.
"Once I realized that, I was overcome with a determination to win, as well as a curiosity as to the kinds of things she experienced in the past. I was puzzled by my emotions at the time, so afterwards, I tried to ascertain my feelings, slowly and carefully. And that was when I finally realized."
Laura gently placed her hand on her chest. "During all these months we've spent together, I've known deep down that you were worthy of my trust. Our values had nothing to do with that judgement—it came from my heart alone."
Fie let out a small gasp. Laura trusted her?
"However…" Laura solemnly closed her eyes and lowered her head. "In my stubbornness, I refused to acknowledge that one simple truth. In my heart, I had deemed you worthy of trust, but in my mind, I still couldn't see past our incompatibilities as knight and jaeger. Such a contradiction would explain why we weren't able to use the combat link to its fullest potential."
"...You weren't the only one who thought we couldn't get along, you know."
"Oh?" Laura appeared a bit surprised to hear Fie speak.
"You live your life so...honestly," she admitted. "Meanwhile, I was taught to be indirect by trade. Once I figured that we'd be the worst fit for each other, I pretty much gave up on you ever accepting me."
Laura nodded in understanding. "I see…"
"Still…" Fie furrowed her eyebrows. "What does this have to do with you thinking that I'm weak?"
"Because, loath as I am to admit, there are still some things that I do not know about you. Likewise, I am sure that there are some things that you do not know about me. Therefore, I believe that the best course of action for us would be to start our relationship anew so we can learn more about each other with an open mind."
A chance to start over? The thought never occurred in her mind. Jaegers were rarely ever given second chances. Fie thought she had already expended hers by transferring to Thors.
Maybe Laura wasn't the only person who had a limited view of how the world worked.
"How're we gonna do it?" Fie asked. "I'm guessing you don't want to settle things over tea and cookies."
The corner of Laura's mouth crept upwards. "Perhaps if we were a normal pair of students. But alas, I don't think either of us are considered 'normal' by most standards."
Fie scoffed. "Ain't that an understatement."
"How about this? Let us make a wager."
"A wager?"
Laura nodded. "Correct. And the winner will get to ask the loser one thing. For instance, let's see…" The swordswoman crossed her arms. "If I triumph over you, I want you to tell me about your past. Your personal history."
Of all the answers Laura could have given, Fie wasn't expecting that one. "Why do you want to know?" she asked defensively.
Laura let out a low chuckle. "Perhaps you can save that question for when you're on the winning end."
"Rrgh…" Fie had to hand it to Laura. The swordswoman had previously admitted to caring little about the chatter and gossip that most nobles were apt to do. Despite that, she could still engage and lead a conversation like the best of them.
"Fine by me, I guess," she relented. "So? What's the catch?"
"If there is one thing I'm sure knights and jaegers have in common, it's that they like to make friendly wagers on certain outcomes. However, seeing as the two of us are far from what people would consider 'friendly'..." Laura's voice proceeded to drop an octave. "Perhaps the best way to settle our differences is through more...unfriendly means."
It wasn't too hard for Fie to connect the dots. Ever since Laura referenced the story between her and Morgan, Fie had a feeling that it would eventually lead to this.
She was fine with this, though. After all, taking one's spoils by force was the jaeger's way through and through.
Morgan stepped out of the shower feeling a little dizzy. Admittedly, she might have overstayed her welcome, not to mention she probably used enough water for herself and her roommates. However, she wanted Laura and Fie to have as much time to talk as possible, so after she turned off the water, she made sure that she was completely dry and modest before stepping out of the bathroom. From what she could tell over the noise of running water, the two of them were engaging in some conversation.
Imagine Morgan's surprise, then, when she opened the door to find the pair exactly as she left them: seated across from each other and writing their reports.
"Whew! Might have stayed in there for too long," she commented to start things off. "You two finished with your reports yet?"
"Almost done," Laura replied.
"Good, good…" Morgan's voice trailed off as she put away her towel. "So, uh, did you two talk, or…"
"We did." Laura was the one to answer again. "We're simply taking care of more concerning matters right now."
"I-I see." Morgan scratched her head. "I guess I'll let you finish up, and then we can talk?"
"Sure." "Of course."
While she left her classmates to finish their reports, Morgan got ready for bed. From what she could see, the two of them were amicable towards each other, which was an improvement over their brief spout earlier in the day. However, things could just as easily get out of hand. She should prepare countermeasures just to be on the safe side-
"In your current situation, you will not be the one to resolve their dispute."
Morgan stopped herself, remembering the fortune-teller's words.
"There will be instances where you are powerless to do anything. When that time comes, you must learn to accept your place in the world and let events play out as they were preordained."
"..."
Morgan let her hands dangle by her side.
"Give and take, huh…?"
…
A short while later, both Laura and Fie completed their reports.
"So?" Morgan asked expectantly, now outfitted in her nightclothes. "What's your plan? This better be good."
Laura was the first to speak. "Firstly, we would like to request your cooperation with this. Since you were the one who goaded us into negotiating, it seems only fitting that you would accompany us."
"Accompany you?" Morgan tilted her head. "You want to go someplace?"
"We're going to sneak out of the inn," Fie said.
Morgan blinked. "Excuse me?"
"To be more precise…" Laura shook her head in exasperation. "I contacted Manager Tom. He said that I was free to use the area between the inn and the shrine for my daily training so long as I brought someone with me. We will leave the inn before the sun rises. After that, we will implement our plan in full."
"And what IS the plan? The suspense is killing me."
Laura and Fie pointed to each other as they told Morgan their plan.
Somehow, Morgan was not at all surprised by the outcome they had chosen.
Author's note: I had hoped to finish this by 6/27 to coincide with the date, but sometimes things don't always go as planned.
Anyways, I finally found it in myself to continue writing this fic. Between the negative effects quarantining has had on all of us along with a plethora of IRL mishaps, I made myself focus on fixing those first since they were affecting my progress on the story. Apologies for the long wait in between chapters for longtime readers, and if you just recently followed, thanks for the support! Stay safe and stay healthy out there. (´ ω `)V