Altina Orion had been led to believe that free days were supposed to be enjoyable activities. A day spent with nothing but club activities and free training that allowed for personal growth and relaxation in equal measures. It was something that Instructor Rean had told her many times since her arrival at this school.
It would appear that the Ashen Chevalier was a liar.
What other explanation could there be for her miserable morning? Upon waking up that morning she had noticed her favorite cap had gone missing. She was positive she had worn it into her room the previous night, but try as she might she could not locate it. Even asking Juna for help – Fie having uncharacteristically left the room early that morning – had yielded no results. It seemed she had no alternative but to grudgingly accept the hat as lost.
After that miserable start she had gone to the academy because Leonora wanted all the swimming club to get in some early reps that morning. After two months of practicing Altina had been determined to make it the entire length of the pool without stopping. With her club leader cheering her on she had leapt into the water and begun swimming with all her determination...
She had failed.
Sure it hadn't been all bad – she had set a personal record for distance traveled – but failing a mission was a terrible feeling. That compounded with the loss of her favorite hat had left the homunculi feeling despondent as she wandered around the school aimlessly. Maybe she should just go back into town and drown her misery in fluffy pancakes and delicious syrup-
"Arf!"
She blinked in confusion. Why was there a small dog sitting by her feet wagging its tail happily, and why had it chosen to break her out of her delicious daydream?
"Nice one, Cerb." Altina had a strong suspicion that any answers she was to receive would come from her classmate and friend who was rapidly approaching after the dog, "What's up, Altina?"
"Fie. Why are you walking a-" She froze. There, in Fie's hand... "Why do you have my hat?!"
Her classmate glanced down at the object in her possession before looking back at her with a crooked grin, "I borrowed it."
"You... borrowed my hat..." Altina blinked in disbelief, "...without asking my permission?"
"Yep. Xeno always told me it's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is permission. Here ya go."
She blinked once again as she tried to comprehend Fie's words, even as her fellow silver-haired girl sloppily placed the hat on her head, "...Easier to ask for forgiveness than asking permission? I... suppose that makes some sense." She hated to concede that fact considering it was her who suffered from the act, "But why did you take my hat in the first place?"
"'Cause of Cerb here."
"Arf!"
Altina looked down at 'Cerb'. The puppy looked back at her. It was certainly a cute enough dog, but looking at him provided absolutely no answers.
Instead she returned her gaze to her classmate. She didn't say anything, but she was beginning to understand how to apply facial expressions to conversation. By narrowing her eyes in annoyance she was pretty sure she was silently telling Fie to elaborate.
"Accepted a job at Neinvalli. I have a little experience with the monsters jaegers like to use so Jingo wanted me to give Cerberus a little extra training."
"I take it you are teaching him how to track people by their scent?"
Fie nodded with a wide smile, "Yup. Pretty sure the goal is for Cerb to start doing deliveries to the regulars in the future. It's gonna be so awesome having him show up to the dorm with all my stuff each month."
"Woof!"
Altina could already envision the sheer chaos that would ensue the first time this dog appeared at the door to their dorm building with a bag full of grenades, explosives, ammunition, and all the other illegal items her friend seemed fond of using, Juna especially was gonna freak out.
"I see. It does seem very practical." ...But she wasn't Juna. Maybe she should check out the shop and see if there's anything she would want to order? A shame Claiomh Solais didn't operate well far from her location or she could have had her combat shell do deliveries for her as well.
"It is, isn't it? I'm more of a cat person, but dogs are pretty great too." To accentuate the point Fie kneeled down to pamper the little puppy, causing it to bark in excitement.
Altina bit her lip. She had never understood the obsession people had with animals but there was something about how Cerberus' ears perked up that made her really want to join Fie in scratching them. The former jaeger didn't say anything, but the sly grin she gave before gesturing with her head towards the dog was all the convincing she needed.
Even as she was soothed by the feeling of soft fur in her hands she shot a glare towards her fellow dog patter, "...Why did you 'borrow' my hat? Why not borrow from Juna or Kurt or anyone else?" Was it wrong of her to wish it had been them to suffer? Possibly. That seemed like the kind of thing Instructor Rean would chastise her for.
But not having her favorite hat had left her more irritable than what a single dog could cure.
"Don't worry, I did." That easy response caused her to raise her eyes in interest, prompting Fie to reach into one of her pockets, "Let's see... I got Juna's favorite Mishy plush, some pieces from Kurt's chess board, and Rean's stupid fake glasses."
"I... What? H-How?" Another experience that was new to Altina: Finding herself rendered completely speechless.
Fie meanwhile looked more proud than anything, "Sneaking into Kurt's room was easy. Rean's room was more tricky cause they're all a bunch of monsters up there, but as long as I knew Principal Le Guin was gone I wasn't too worried about it. Could always make up a dumb excuse if Rean, Randy, or Towa caught me."
"No wonder Kurt looked so confused this morning. I am certain he has been looking for his pieces at the Chess Cl-"
"Shh! No spoilers!" Fie glared at her as she hurried to cover both of Cerberus' ears with her hands, causing the dog to tilt his head cutely in confusion, "He needs to find Kurt on his own. He doesn't want your help."
"I am fairly certain the dog would not know where the club-" Fie's glare intensified, "...where the place is, considering he has never been on this campus before."
Her classmate gave a shrug even as she removed her hands, "Probably, but Jingo's been talking about teaching him how to read. Don't wanna risk it."
"...Dog's can't read."
"Cerb can. He's a smart dog."
"Arf!"
Altina had studied multiple databases before coming to this school. All information she possessed was quite adamant that dogs could not read. And yet as she stared at the small puppy who was wagging his tail with an oblivious look on his face...
"Just... hurry up and return the stuff you stole."
"Borrowed." Altina was sorely sorely tempted to call Claiomh Solais to her side in that moment. Instructor Rean would understand. If a little violence was all it would take to rid herself of this headache, then... "Wanna come with?"
She opened her mouth to steadfastly refuse. Even if she had no current plans anything would beat the insanity that Fie Claussell provided. And yet before the first sound exited her mouth she paused, as Cerberus had trotted up to her and was now sitting at her feet, staring up at her with big soulful eyes, causing her to hesitate.
Shaking her head Altina refocused herself. She was not the kind of person to let herself get swayed by a cute puppy, even if the dog had such soft fur and ears that just begged to be scratched. She was a member of the intelligence agency and the designated partner to Erebonia's Ashen Chevalier! She was the Black Workshop's Black Rabbit! She placed her foot down and prepared to tell Fie off on no uncertain-
Cerberus let out a pitiful whine.
Fie was in a good mood after she returned Cerberus to Jingo and saw Altina off. And why wouldn't she be? Walking a dog and messing with her friends? Best job ever. Combining petty theft with an adorable puppy made for a lethal combination that she would need to consider again in the future.
Maybe she should see if Jingo wants to hire her on as a part time employee? Nah. Not her style. Working on a schedule sounded awful. But she'll definitely make herself available for any odd tasks from the tiny black market dealer.
She was broken from her good mood by the chime of her ARCUS II, signaling a new message. Odd. Rean had warned them that he would be calling them later for their Einhel Keep trial, but that should have been much later. Curiously, she opened her combat orbment and read the newly arrived message from an unknown number.
'It is time to honor our arrangement. Please come to the Tea Ceremony club room as soon as possible.' -Musse Egret.
Her eye twitched. She'd almost forgotten about that accursed deal she had made before losing to the mint-haired girl. Annoyingly Musse didn't give away many hints with her message, only that the location would be in her club room.
And how did she get Fie's number anyways?!
With a sigh she began making her way back to the school. She had already made the contract so there was no backing out of it now. That was the jaeger way, after all.
But that didn't mean she couldn't drag her feet the entire way.
After a walk that took twice as long as it should have Fie found herself standing in front of the room. With a second sigh she squared her shoulders and opened the door. What she found inside... was an empty room.
"Oh. You're here earlier than I anticipated. How unexpected."
Whirling around she found Musse standing there with a bag in her hand. Had she just arrived herself? Did she really anticipate her taking her sweet time getting there?
This girl was both annoying and mysterious in equal measures. It really bugged Fie.
"So what is it you want me to do?" She asked at length, not wanting to remain in suspense any longer.
Musse let out an airy giggle, "Like I said before, it's nothing terrible. All I want from you is..." Fie braced herself for something terrible, "...to join us in our tea ceremony today!"
"...Huh?" She had to have misheard, right?
"You heard correctly." The other girl replied with a teasing grin, "I want you to join us today."
She blinked. This... was really confusing. Also this definitely fit under her definition of terrible, "But... why?"
"Because you're such a lovely girl, yet you're always hiding that fact with a slovenly appearance and lazy attitude." Fie would have glared at Musse for that comment, but found herself cut off by the bag being shoved into her hands, "I suppose it's understandable given your background, but it's such a shame! I want to help you. Look! I've even had a kimono prepared for you."
Indeed, as the flabbergasted girl peered into the bag she confirmed that yes indeed there was a kimono inside it. Pulling it out she stared blankly at the light blue clothing, distantly noting that it was adorned with an intricate pattern of golden flowers all across the hem of the kimono.
Had she been in the right mind she would have wondered how Musse was able to get something this quickly or how she managed to get it in her size without ever measuring her.
"Isn't it lovely? For some reason when I think of you I think of flowers. And look! They're even the same color as your eyes!"
"Uhh..." Try as she might it was impossible for her to form a coherent thought in her mind. It took a lot to overwhelm the former jaeger, but somehow Musse was able to pull it off with ease.
Said girl giggled, clearly taking amusement in her struggle, "Well, don't just stand there gawking. Let's go in so you can get changed before the others arrive. I'm sure you'll need help with that... Oh! I know! We should do your hair while we're at it!"
Fie really wanted to say something. Anything would have sufficed. But once again words failed her and so she found herself dragged into the club room by a madly grinning Musse. The sound of the door slamming shut behind her was like a gong signaling the terrible fate that had befallen the girl.
Fifteen minutes later and Fie had rebooted her brain enough to finally comprehend what had happened to her. And yet despite that as she gazed into a mirror the only explanation she could come up with was that there was an alien gazing back at her. It definitely couldn't have been her.
"Ta-da!" Behind her – or in front of her since she was staring at a mirror – Musse let out a happy exclamation as she finished putting her hair into a bun, "All finished! What do you think?"
"How does someone fight in this?" Fie groused petulantly as she took slow halting steps in the garment she found herself in. Right now she found herself really missing her old jaeger outfit, and even her annoying school uniform was a vast improvement over this abomination!
And yet despite the petty complaint Musse let out a knowing giggle, "With deception, naturally. Few people would expect an elegant lady in a kimono to be a threat, but those sleeves can hide a lot of weapons. I am quite certain that someone with your reputation can understand the benefits of such a tactic."
The Class VII girl scowled, not having expected her petty complaint to be answered so decisively. Of course she could see the benefits to such a plan. The number of tools and weapons she could hide on her person right now...
"Don't be like that." Musse chided gently, "Be honest with me. How do you think you look right now. Cute, yes?"
With all her annoyances thrown away the girl was forced to seriously look at the mirror. What she saw... "I dunno much about cute, but it's definitely different. I barely recognize myself." Really were it not for the fact the doppelganger in the mirror was giving the same bland expression she was she might have thought the image was an illusion or something. "It's... not bad, I guess."
"See? Was it really so hard to be honest with yourself?" Fie rolled her eyes causing Musse to giggle again. She might have said more but they were interrupted by a knock on the door, "Ah! That must be the others."
Fie blinked. To be honest she wasn't actually sure who was in this club besides Musse. That answer was soon provided when the mint-haired girl opened the door and after a few words two other individuals came in.
"Oh. It's Fie."
"Eep!"
Maya she knew pretty well. True to word whenever the former jaeger got the urge to practice cooking the other girl would dutifully lend her services. From what Fie had learned the girl was one of few words but many stomachs. Someone she could definitely get along with.
The smaller boy who had retreated behind the black-haired girl... Kairi, she thought his name was? Another member of Class IX. She didn't know much about him except that he seemed like a wimp.
"I decided to invite her to join us-"
"More like she blackmailed me."
"...Into joining us today. I hope neither of you mind." Somehow Musse was able to give that entire lie of a statement without pause and with a radiant smile on her face, even with Fie's interruption.
Maya nodded her head with a small smile, "Sure. I don't mind."
Kairi on the other hand looked positively terrified, "I..uh..."
"Relax. I don't bite." Fie commented warmly.
The boy visibly deflated, "I wasn't-"
"...Unless someone hires me to, at least. Hope you don't have any rich enemies."
"Eep!"
She received a gentle nudge from Musse's elbow, "Fie! Don't scare him!" Despite the words she had a feeling that Musse was secretly amused by the whole situation.
"I-I wasn't scared. Real Erebonian men don't get scared because of a few rumors!"
Okay? That was a weird statement. She glanced over at Maya, but the girl merely gave a shrug before shaking her head, silently telling her to just roll with it. Easy enough.
Green tea, Fie decided, wasn't bad, but it was a little too bitter for her tastes. Of course she could say the same on the rare occasion when when she had sampled other teas, but right now it was the lighter beverage in her hand as she sat through the strange ceremony that Musse was presiding over.
On the plus side the manipulative girl had arranged to have plenty of kusa mochi and other snacks on hand for the tea ceremony and those were pretty damn good. This whole situation had gotten a whole lot better when she stopped giving lip service to all the actions she was supposed to take as part of the proper ceremony in lieu of quietly munching on food, something which neither of the more professional members of this club seemed to mind.
Kairi might have minded, but considering he was somehow struggling more than Fie he didn't have the right to complain about her.
"How are you able to do it!?" Instead he complained to her, earlier fear seemingly forgotten in favor of frustration.
"Do what?" At first she was confused at the question, but following his gaze led her to her legs, not that she could see them herself. Quickly she put the pieces together – she had merely mimicked the two veterans in their sitting position, but the sole boy in the room had been unable to do so, instead losing his balance twice before giving up and sitting in a normal position, "You mean sitting like this? Dunno, I just did it."
"Gah!" The young nobleman was clearly not happy with her answer, "I don't get it! It's too hard! Is it because you're all girls?"
She snorted at the unintentionally sexist comment, which was probably an unwelcome gesture at a tea ceremony, not that she cared, "Definitely not. I know a guy nicknamed the Behemoth. Twice your height, four times your weight. A professional killer through and through. He could do something like this all day." She probably could too if she wanted, but while she wasn't gonna complain like Kairi was, sitting on her feet like this definitely wasn't the most comfortable position, "Just gotta train yourself to be more flexible. Patience helps too, I guess."
"So you're saying that getting better at seiza can make me more manly, just like that Behemoth guy?"
"Uh... Sure?" That definitely wasn't what she said, but the hopeful look in his eyes caused her to roll with it regardless. Maya and Musse's attempts at stifling their laughter didn't help matters any.
With that weird tangent finished Fie returned to her tea and snacks, only to find that the rest of the snacks had been stolen while she was distracted, and her tea was now cold. Just great. How could this get any worse-
The Zephyr member was broken out of her thoughts by knocking on the door. She just jinxed herself, didn't she?
"Musse? I'm here to deliver the tatami mat you ordered for club."
Fie paled. She recognized that voice. This definitely just got a lot worse.
And yet Musse didn't seem to realize the situation as she gracefully rose to her feet, "Coming, Instructor Rean."
Fie tried to intercept the girl to prevent her from opening the door, but sadly for her all the grace and agility she was known for as Sylphid was rendered useless by her current attire. Instead she managed to gracelessly face plant into the ground as the other student walked by, only just managing to get back to her feet by the time the door was opened.
"Whew. Glad you're here. This thing is heavier than it-" Rean trailed off as he noticed her for the first time, causing the student to color at the sheer humiliation of it all. He stared for a long moment with an owlish expression on his face before finally uttering one confused word, "...F-Fie?"
"Don't say a word." She muttered out, unwilling to even look her teacher in the eye, "This wasn't by choice."
"Aww." Musse pouted at the instructor, "How come you're looking at her like that and not me?" The mint-haired girl leaned in to whisper to Fie, albeit loud enough for everyone to hear without any difficulty, "All I got was a blush from him, but you're getting such a longing look. I'm so jealous! I need to step up my game!"
"I'm not...!" He began to protest, before pausing to let out a tired sigh. Clearly he has had his own run-ins with the manipulative witch known as Musse Egret, "...I'm just going to leave now. I need to meet someone at the train station in a few minutes."
Musse opened her mouth to tease him more, but the swordsman was already gone, "Phooey. I was going to invite him to join us, too." Despite the supposed failure of her plan the girl giggled happily before returning to her seat.
Fie reluctantly followed suit, but not before sticking her head out the door to check the halls. Good. No sign of her classmates. Them showing up was the only way this could get any worse.
Maybe her humiliation was finally at an end?
After that traumatizing ordeal Fie found herself walking away from the campus main building. She had no destination in mind, but her only objective was to get as far away from the school as humanly possible lest Musse somehow rope her into another miserable activity.
That girl was just too dangerous.
Her plan was to wander around aimlessly until she either found something to amuse her or decided to take a nap – in the safety of her dorm room, of course. She knew that Rean had another trial for them to do at some point, and the Cooking Club was having an evening meeting, but for now she was free to do whatever she wanted. Maybe she could-
Fie paused. She recognized the blue-haired woman walking alongside her instructor.
"Oh. Hello, Fie." It seemed the reverse held true as they approached her as soon as they noticed her presence.
"Rean. Laura." She greeted with a nod before giving the pair a suspicious look, "What are you guys doing?"
"She messaged me earlier about a place to train, so I suggested the Keep. I was just taking her there now that we've finished touring the campus."
Fie nodded her head. That explanation checked out with what little she knew of the swordswoman, "Huh. Neat. Have fun with-"
"Actually..." Laura glanced between her and her teacher with a curious look on her face, "I know I requested your presence, but I would very much be interested in attempting the trial alongside Fie..."
"Huh?!"
Despite being just as surprised as she was, Rean was a lot quicker at recovering as he tilted his head with a contemplative expression, "Hmm... We still have our class trial later today, but given how short the professor said this one would be I'll allow it, but only if Fie is willing."
Now on the spot she could only blink in confusion, "But... why?"
Her hesitant words caused Laura to giggle in amusement, "It's because I find myself curious about you." At her continued confusion the Arseid elaborated further, "I will freely admit that I've lived a... sheltered life. I have always believed that the path of the knight was both just and virtuous, which naturally meant the path of the mercenary was one of evil."
The powerful woman seemed to fight the urge to look away as an expression of shame adorned her face, "During the civil war Instructor Sara's background as a jaeger was revealed to us. For the briefest of moments I hesitated, almost as if learning about her prior profession had caused nearly a year of trust to become undone in an instant. In a way I was quite fortunate that we were in the middle of a major battle as the constant fighting gave me time to sort through my feelings and realize just how petty I was being."
Laura shook her head before giving her a warm smile, "The shame from that day has prevented me from questioning her further about her past, but the need to understand more has been frustrating in its intensity. Thus when we were informed that Instructor Sara had met someone with a similar background who was now a student in Rean's class my curiosity was piqued."
"I see..." Sure Fie had expected something along those lines from the noblewoman, but the intensity of her speech left her in awe. There was no way even someone like her could refuse the request after that! That being said... "I don't mind telling you my story, but why do you want me to fight beside you?" Even as Fie asked it she had an inkling she already knew the answer.
Something which was confirmed by the older girl, "Perhaps it is a mere indulgence on my part, but I find it far easier to understand someone by seeing how they fight. Perhaps a duel would be more ideal, but fighting monsters as comrades should be sufficient, I would think."
She shot a pointed look towards Rean, silently conveying that he owed her big time for this. For his part the teacher just gave her a sheepish grin. Oh yeah. All the extra credit was coming to her.
She would make sure of it.
"Alright. Let's do it."
"Excellent! Thank you for humoring my selfish request."
"Mmm." After that the two of them bid farewell to the Ashen Chevalier before making their way towards Einhel Keep as a duo. Along the way Fie once again recounted her story, albeit a far more abridged version than the one she told her closest friends. Laura didn't seem to mind and save for a few small questions was content to listen silently to the tale.
After reaching the keep the pair exchanged a few words with the crusty professor. A part of her was almost hoping the stubborn old man would refuse since he had been expecting to collect data from Rean and Laura, but outside of a brief grump the man waved the two of them to the elevator and into the keep proper.
"So how do you want to do this?" Fie asked as soon as they encountered the first group of monsters.
"Just fight like you normally would." Laura told her, "That's all I ask. I want to see how you operate on the battlefield."
She shrugged, silently accepting the request. With no further discussion needed she formed a combat link with the Old Class VII member. Through the link she could feel Laura's calmness and confidence, traits befitting the knightly lady.
With that finished she launched herself towards the group of three enemies, Laura hot on her heels. Either they hadn't noticed the arrival of the humans or were simply too slow to react as the first one fell almost immediately to a single thrust from her gunblades into the vulnerable neck.
Before she could move further, however, one of the other monsters reared back and shot something nasty out of its mouth towards her. Naturally she rolled out of the way of such an attack, and as she regained her feet she took some shots at the creature. While they didn't do much to the armored carapace of the enemy it was enough to cause it to fixate entirely upon her.
...Which made it easy pickings when Laura arrived to cleave it in twain effortlessly, with the third enemy following suit to a second slash.
Fie almost whistled. The power the older girl possessed was insane. Sure they weren't the most dangerous of monsters, but she cut through their armored hides like it was nothing. The entire battle had finished in a matter of seconds.
Shortly after they came across a second group of monsters. Fie prepped to charge in, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder, "Allow me to take the lead this time, if you will." With a shrug, she acquiesced, allowing the blue-haired girl to charge in first, greatsword at the ready.
Even she found herself somewhat intimidated at the sight of a charging Laura, so it wasn't surprising at all when the monsters focused entirely on her. Not that Fie minded the slight at all, considering it gave her an opening too juicy to ignore. While the monsters tried to swarm the Arseid she contented herself to blend in the background as she quickly but quietly circled around the enemies.
With her in position and the monsters still trying to overwhelm the immovable Laura it was a simple thing for her to exit out of stealth and clear the room in a matter of seconds with a barrage of bullets and swift slashes. She let out a yawn as she sheathed her gunblades, "Easy."
"Indeed it was." Laura agreed with a giggle as they began progressing once again, "I believe I am starting to understand how you operate."
"Oh?"
"You are a very opportunistic fighter, always seeking to create an advantage over your opponent."
Fie blinked, that seemed like a pretty fair assessment, all things considered, "Do you see that as a bad thing?"
"Perhaps in another time I would have, but now I simply see just how effective it is. The fact you are as willing to create an opening with your speed as you are to exploit an opening created by others leads me to believe that despite your mercenary heritage you aren't a selfish individual at all. I just have one question for you?"
"Oh?"
Laura didn't say anything immediately, instead focusing her gaze forward, prompting Fie to do the same. It appeared they had reached the final room of the trial, but naturally that meant the most dangerous encounter was there too. A large group of monsters stared down the two girls, clearly thinking that they were the predators in this encounter, "What do you do when there are no openings available to exploit?"
Well that was an easy question to answer. Fie reached down to one of her pockets before pulling out one of her flashbangs, presenting it to the Old Class VII member, "I just make my own." Without hesitation she pulled the pin and tossed the grenade, "Might wanna close your eyes!"
Whether Laura did or did not she was unsure as she was quick to take her own advice just before the explosive detonated. Being used to her tools she didn't allow the ringing of her ears to bother her as she charged into the group of disoriented monsters, stabbing, slashing, and shooting her way through their ranks.
Once she made it through the enemy formation she turned around to continue her rampage... only to pause as she witnessed the last enemy falling beneath Laura's sword, "Damn. Didn't think you would recover so quickly. You have experience with flashbangs?"
"Not at all. It was certainly quite... disorienting. Not a very pleasant experience."
"And yet you still managed to take out over half of them." Fie shook her head tiredly, "...You really are something else, aren't you?" That someone close to her age could follow silly knightly combat traditions and still be on the same level as someone like Shirley was a bit of an eye-opener to her. Sure the other members of the original Class VII she had met had all proven to be quite competent, but this was something else entirely!
"Haha. I thank you for the compliment, but I still have a long way to go before I will feel worthy of being called a master. Still..." Laura paused to take stock of their now empty surroundings, "Having you by my side certainly made things a lot easier. I think we made a pretty good team, don't you?"
Oddly enough... "Yeah. I think so." Combining her mobility and opportunism with Laura's overwhelming power and presence turned these battles into an absolute joke, "Pretty fun, too."
"Indeed." Laura's amusement faded slightly, "Still, as much as I would love to continue working with you we had best be getting back. I need to catch the afternoon train and I do believe you have another trial awaiting you."
"Ugh..." She had been trying to avoid thinking about that. Still, as the two of them made their exit from the keep Fie couldn't help but think this had been a productive use of her time. Not only had she gotten a first row seat to the might of the original Class VII, but she had even made a new friend. Not a bad day at all.