Even though on the outside she maintained her perfect demeanor, on the inside Musse couldn't help but feel a twinge of something she couldn't immediately identify as she beheld the town of Raquel in the distance, as it meant the Juno Naval Fortress and her home of Ordis were coming up soon enough. Although it wasn't yet time for the great game to begin the sights of her home would be a stark reminder of what was at stake.
She couldn't afford to lose.
"Hunnh...?" Came the miserable groan of a just waking Juna, "Are we there already?"
It was Altina who answered, "We're still two stops away. You should go back to sleep."
"M'kay... got it... In that case, you be my pillow, Allie."
The sight of a sleepy Juna crossing the room before getting into bed with her classmate brought a smile to the mint-haired girl's face. While her initial assessment of Juna Crawford had been that of untapped potential, only in her most optimistic projections could she imagined that the Crossbellian would gain a handle on her burden and begin to tap that potential so quickly. Despite being just a normal girl Musse couldn't help but admire her classmate.
But with that admiration came a hint of pity. Despite the great strides she had made Juna was ill-prepared for what was to come. Being in Class VII meant her future would not be an easy one.
Naturally her gaze fell upon Juna's reluctant pillow. Altina did not seem at all pleased with the new arrangements, especially as her unexpected bed-mate appeared to be putting a significant amount of strength into squeezing the life out of her. In desperation the white-haired girl sent a pleading look her way.
Musse merely smiled and shook her head, causing Altina to despair.
There was a stark reminder that knowledge gained was not the same as knowledge understood. On paper she knew everything there was to know about Altina Orion – A homunculi created by the Black Workshop, assigned to assist Rufus Albarea in ending the October War before serving as partner to the Ashen Chevalier in the year that followed.
But instead of a capable doll the girl currently being squeezed to death was just as human as anyone else in that room. None of her intelligence sources mentioned this at all. Perhaps that wasn't entirely fair to them as it was clear much of her growth had occurred since arriving at the academy, but the seeds of that growth had been planted well before that.
No wonder the tiny girl admired Instructor Rean so much. Musse couldn't help but be incredibly jealous of the bond those two shared even if she was appreciative of it all the same.
As much as Juna clearly wanted to there realistically wasn't enough time to go back to sleep – Instructor Michael would almost certainly be calling them to ready up within half an hour – but Musse could sense the opportunity for creating a little mischief. Briefly she turned her gaze to the fourth occupant of the room to watch as Tita tossed and turned while muttering the names of her friends back home – she'd definitely be teasing her about one of those names in particular at a later time – to focus on the fifth and final member of their little group.
The young noblewoman took a single step towards her target, but stopped when a single baleful eye opened to peer in her direction, "Don't even think about it."
"Aww, c'mon, Fie! Look how happy Juna and Altina are! Why can't we achieve that same level of bliss?!"
"No."
Musse took the rejection in stride, letting out a giggle even as Fie seemed to effortlessly go back to sleep.
It hadn't escaped her notice that despite being asleep the girl was just as alert and wary as ever. Despite her time at the academy affecting great change upon her – she was definitely not escaping the cat allegations anytime soon – the girl still possessed a core of pure steel and gunpowder. She was dangerous in ways that Musse could never be.
Which was why the Lamare noblewoman remained so interested in the silver-haired girl. She was very much looking forward to getting a closer look at her skills during the next few days. Given the fact it was almost certain Zephyr was being employed by factions loyal to the chancellor having a jaeger's touch on her own side would be sorely appreciated in the days to come.
And it most certainly didn't hurt that her personality was so enjoyable! Despite her laid-back attitude it was obvious that Fie was unused to dealing with someone like her, and it showed with their every interaction. Messing with her was almost as fun as teasing Instructor Rean!
For now, she'd simply content herself to hang back and watch events as they unfolded. Her new position in Class VII gave her the perfect vantage point to keep track of all those promising pieces. Especially as logically it stood to reason her adversaries would likely be deploying some unique pawns of their own during this excursion.
Actually... She let out a giggle. While she could content herself with simply watching, what was the fun in that? Even though Musse was certain her instructor was already awake, what harm was there in her sneaking over to provide an innocent wake-up call? Nobody could fault her for that, right?
And if she were to accidentally catch Instructor Rean in a state of undress...?
The giggle she let out this time was very unbecoming of a noblewoman of her stature, but that was fine with her. What was the point in planning and scheming for the future of the continent if she couldn't have a little fun in the process? With a hop and a skip the mint-haired sharpshooter left her friends behind in search of bigger and better prizes.
Having to deal with the psychopaths from the society during their field studies sucked. Cryptids and Magic Knights were also bad – Not equally, of course, Magic Knights were way worse. Juna was just an idiot. And the array of Special Operations missions they were usually tasked to handle ranged anywhere from fine to dull and tedious.
And yet none of that compared to the absolute misery of an early wake-up. Truly the worst part of their third field exercise.
To add insult to injury Rean had taken her stunt the previous night personally as he forced her onto tent setting up detail under his hawkish supervision. It wasn't a particularly hard job by any stretch of the imagination, but how was she supposed to work effectively with her teacher staring her down any time she so much as stopped briefly to yawn!? Luckily being a member of Class VII meant they got out of work duty early as they instead had to sit through their mission briefing.
At least she wasn't alone in her suffering as she gazed around at her classmates while waiting for their initial brief to begin. Juna looked just as groggy as Fie felt. Ash hadn't said a single stupid thing since they met up which was a rarity for him. Kurt - despite being an early riser for training, - seemed uncharacteristically disinterested in the proceedings.
And Altina looked as if she had the life squeezed out of her. Poor thing. But it was her own fault for being so tiny and squeezable.
The bored silence ended when all the instructors filed into the room, with Rean taking their side while the other three stood on the other side of the table. Even though she was sure it'd be the same thing they heard the past two months this was still a mission briefing so Fie made sure to keep an ear open for any info of note.
As expected it ended up being much of the same. Go into the city, report their exercises had begun, do a bunch of bracer work, and get caught up in some crazy plot by Ouroboros. That last part wasn't spoken, but they all knew it was inevitable.
Of some interest, however, was the news on who they were actually supposed to report to. Unlike the previous two locations Lamare didn't exactly have the most stable leadership in the wake of the previous Duke Cayenne's arrest at the end of the October War. That was to be one of the main topics of discussion at the upcoming conference.
Instead they were to skip over the current interim blowhard and report to the ranking military officer of the region, General Wallace Bardias at the Juno Naval Fortress. That was a name she'd heard back in Zephyr, both as the right hand of the Golden Rakshasa and as an extremely formidable warrior in his own right, having earned the name Black Whirlwind for his expert spearmanship.
But if Fie was being perfectly honest surviving alongside Aurelia Le Guin was far more impressive than any other feats he had to his name.
Once the brief ended they went outside to see that the school's orbal bikes had already been prepped for them. There was just one problem with that...
"...There are only three bikes for the seven of us."
Yup. That was it. Thanks, Altina.
"Yeah, sorry about that." Rean seemed genuinely apologetic, "I put in a request for a fourth bike once you two joined the class, but it hadn't been delivered in time for this excursion. Altina, would you be willing to pair up with me on this bike?" Naturally said girl gave a nod, "Great. As for the other bikes..."
"Dibs."
"This one's mine!"
Juna was a little slow on the uptake as she glanced between Fie and Ash for their comments, but realization was quick to dawn as soon as the two in question began approaching their bikes "...Wait a minute! You can't just do that! I'm the most experienced driver here!"
"Too bad."
"Sucks to be you."
Fie watched with amusement as a solemn Kurt placed a hand on the pink-haired girl's shoulder, "I don't think you have any choice but to accept this arrangement."
"They truly are a diabolical combination when they work together. Perhaps they are more alike than they care to admit." Musse mused aloud.
Fie knew exactly what the green menace was trying to – rile her up by comparing her to Ask of all people. "Nah." She retorted in a quick attempt at hiding the minute twitch at the comment, "He kinda reminds me of the new recruits Zephyr would take it. All bark and no bite. Gotta look out for our innocent little junior so he doesn't get himself killed in the next battle."
"The hell did you call me!?"
Naturally she ignored the fuming Ash as she got on her bike, signaling to the other students to do the same. With Altina doubling up with Rean and Ash riding his own bike that just left three possible companions for her. Juna would be ideal, but the still annoyed girl was trudging her way towards Rean's sidecar. A shame. In that case Kurt... who was approaching Ash.
"Teehee. Take good care of me, alright?"
"Why!? Shouldn't you be trying to get into Rean's bike? Or more likely, shouldn't you be trying to replace Altina on his back?"
"Oh how I wish that would be, but getting in Juna's path after you and Ash oh so brutally dashed her hopes and dreams seems like a poor idea at the moment, don't you think? Rest assured I'll have plenty of opportunity to corner our beloved Instructor and win his heart for myself~"
Fie rolled her eyes. Fine. She could begrudgingly accept Musse as her partner for this ride. It wasn't as if she could go full throttle without earning Rean's ire anyways. They were stuck going at his speed which was pretty similar to how a snail moved, at least to her eyes.
Ugh. Maybe she should've simply given up on the chance to ride the bike?
Nah. Even going at a dull speed was still cooler than being a passenger.
With Rean in the lead the three bikes exited the camp. Although Fie had never been to this part of Erebonia before it wasn't hard to see where they needed to go as the ocean gave a great viewpoint of the entire region. The spires of Ordis' many lighthouses would've dominated the landscape in any other place.
Instead that honor went to their next destination, the Juno Naval Fortress. Not only was it one of Erebonia's largest military bases, but its position overlooking the ocean meant it was visible from many arge in any direction. There was no way that anyone with a functioning pair of eyes could miss the road that led straight to the behemoth of a fortification.
"Take this right here!"
...And yet Rean still thought it'd be a good idea to call out directions. Fie wasn't sure what exactly she grumbled under her breath, but it was enough to cause Musse to giggle quietly. Did their teacher think they were blind idiots or something?
Actually, maybe he was just directing his words towards Ash, but told them all out to be polite. That would make a lot of sense in her opinion.
Under their teacher's sorely needed supervision the three bikes and seven occupants took the road on the single solitary strip of land connecting the mainland to the fortress. Even without seeing the defending troops Fie could easily imagine this base being completely impregnable to a direct assault thanks to the narrow path, massive walls, and cannons lining the entire place. Learning that this had served as the final stand for their principal and the remaining soldiers of the Noble Alliance during the war did not surprise her at all.
The guards in front of the gate were wary of them at first, but as soon as one of them realized they were in the presence of the great and famous Ashen Chevalier they all began to sing a different tune and rushed them through the door. Seeing Rean's slightly strained expression as the soldiers who used to be his enemy treated him like a living legend was hilarious.
No wonder the guy always tried to downplay his title and accomplishments. Fie would probably die of embarrassment if she ever found herself getting the royal treatment like that.
The interior of Juno Naval Base was no less impressive than the outside. Although the place had a relatively small garrison compared to its maximum capacity it was still an army in its own rights. And unlike the ragtag provincial armies she came across in Bareahard and Saint-Arkh these guys seemed to be actual soldiers with good training and morale. Sure there were a few grumblings about how their equipment was dated, but in Fie's mind veteran fighters with good coordination in slightly weaker soldats would crush a bunch of arrogant blowhards any day of the week.
In fact she knew she was right – One just needed to look to their decisive victory against the Prince and his cronies the month prior.
Once inside they began moving through the hallways to the office where General Bardias and a few guests were waiting for them. The jaeger in Fie tried to memorize her steps in case she ever needed to enter the place again, but there was one problem with that idea...
"Ugh! This place is so confusing! Why are there so many hallways!? And why is nothing marked!?" Juna muttered, annoyance plain on her face, "Whoever designed this place was an idiot!"
"I do believe that was done intentionally." Musse responded mirthfully.
"It was." The soldier guiding them supplied helpfully, "I'm not going into any details, obviously, but suffice to say this place was designed to be as complicated and maze-like as possible. In fact we have a tradition around here to task new recruits to go deliver a message or pick up supplies or something before taking bets on where they'll end up. Only one person has ever solved the maze on their first day."
Their teacher made a humming noise, "That would be Prin- General Le Guin, I assume?"
Of course it was. That woman wasn't human. Hell, even if she got lost Fie had a sinking suspicion that terrifying woman would simply resort to slicing through walls until she found her destination.
Eventually their guide led them to yet another nondescript room before biding them to enter. Class VII soon found themselves face to face with the Black Whirlwind himself. Alongside him was Major Claire of the RMP and a noble that Fie had never seen before, but one who quickly introduced himself as Patrick Hyarms, yet another schoolmate of Rean.
Once again they sat through the same song and dance routine of Rean reporting the arrival of the Branch Campus and getting a bunch of missions from the general. She watched as Altina scooted in to get a closer look at the attached advisory. Likely they'd be doing trivial but kinda enjoyable stuff like rescuing cats and-
"Possible movement by the Red Constellation and Zephyr?"
Wait, what!?
Her usual nonchalance faded like a fire after being doused with water and she soon found herself squeezing past her smaller classmate to read the advisory for herself, all the while listening to General Bardias' explanation. Supposedly, while neither Zephyr, their rivals, nor any other jaeger group had done anything overt in the region there had been plenty of sightings of individuals that matched the description of said groups. Far more than what was to be expected from any jaeger corps, even one on leave from contract.
She didn't think she was ready to confront her old family yet, but it seemed she might not have much a choice on the matter.
The student did her best to ignore the concerned gazes of her teacher and original three classmates. It was appreciated, but what was she supposed to say when she didn't even know how she herself was feeling? Doubly so since they were still in a meeting with a bunch of important people. Rean must've recognized that as he turned his attention back to Bardias to conclude the meeting while Fie tried to imagine what the next few days were about to bring.
In fact she had been so lost in her thoughts that Class VII was just exiting the building after the meeting that she realized they had a guest with them. For some ungodly reason Rean had apparently offered Patrick a ride as the city was their shared destination.
"Now we have eight people and three bikes." Altina pointed out helpfully.
Rean must've just realized that as he let out a tired groan, "Really should've pushed for that fourth bike..." Quickly he recomposed himself, "I hate to ask this of you, Juna, but can you ride behind-"
"Ooh! Allow me, instructor!" Musse chimed in with a wide smile on her face, "Juna can ride in the sidecar and I'll share a seat with Fie."
The silver-haired victim stared blankly at Thors' greatest creator of chaos, "...This is revenge for this morning, isn't it?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about."
Fie could only shake her head miserably. There was absolutely no getting in the last word against Musse Egret, was there?
Soon enough the now frankly absurd group of eight were mounted on the trio of bikes, with Musse hugging onto her far tighter than she needed to. They must've been a comical sight to outsiders as even a few of the supposedly disciplined sentries were sending amused looks their way!
A few minutes later and the situation hadn't improved at all. Musse's grip remained as tight as ever and for some reason the mint-haired gremlin had started humming a cheerful tune as the trio of bikes neared Ordis. Were it anyone else Fie would've thought she was simply excited to be returning to her hometown. But this wasn't anyone else. This was Musse. Whatever was going through her brain at the moment was bad news for everyone else, and terrible news for her in particular.
"...So how is she?"
Juna's seemingly innocent question was enough to break the silence as both girls glanced towards her – albeit more subtly for Fie as she had no desire to crash the bike, "Is she just as soft and squishy as Allie?"
That was what she was asking about!? "What the hell, Juna!?"
"Hmm..." Musse pondered thoughtfully, ignoring Fie with casual ease, "I suspect she isn't, but there's a certain thrill with this, you know? While Altina might be akin to a cuddly kitten, Fie here is like a really cute feral cat that you want to hold despite the danger."
This entire conversation was stupid. Fie was beginning to debate the merits of sending the bike careening into the ocean.
"Ah, that makes sense. Sounds kinda like the cat that lives with the SSS, just not quite as useful."
"Stop treating me like some kind of stuffed animal!" The agitated driver growled out, "I'm the oldest one here!"
"Teehee. I suppose you're right. Sometimes it's easy to forget given how... small you are."
Yep. That was it. Into the ocean they go-
"Fie, please don't crash your bike into the ocean." Rean deadpanned from his own bike, with an agitated Altina sitting behind him glaring balefully at the other two girls, "It would be extremely difficult to explain to Principal Le Guin why three of her students drowned."
She wasn't sure what was more terrifying – that Rean could read her mind or how unconcerned his words sounded. Did even he think her suffering was funny!?"
"My. The new Class VII certainly lives up to the reputation of the old. A cast just as colorful and chaotic as their predecessors." Came the unhelpful commentary from their amused guest.
The rest of the trip passed mostly in silence, although Fie could just feel the amusement oozing off of her two bike-mates. She did her best to not let her irritation show. Didn't they know it was a lot funner when they were making fun of someone else and not her!? Why weren't they making fun of Ash or Kurt or Rean right now?
Mercifully she wasn't the butt of their joke for too long as soon the group found themselves at the gates to Erebonia's second largest city. The guards on duty were quick to let them in as soon as they spotted Patrick. Apparently the young noble had been quite busy in the city as he prepared for the upcoming council, which explained why he was so quick to depart as soon as Class VII entered the city proper.
It was only then that Rean allowed them to look at the other tasks the general had given to them. A monster extermination, a report about some thief that stole a jewel, a request for help with an upcoming festival, and oddly enough one asking for assistance on boat inspections.
If there had been any doubts left in her mind that they were simply bargain bin bracers this batch of tasks put an end to that.
And if nothing else they gave her something to think about other than the advisory about jaeger activity in Rean's hands. Did she want to see Boss and the others? Was she ready to do what was needed to get the answers she wanted? Or was she hoping it was simply a different jaeger corps like the Red Constellation so she'd have more time to prepare, even if that meant possibly running into someone like Sigmund Orlando or Shirley?
Either way, first it was time for Class VII to explore Ordis. Luckily they had a tour guide of their own in Musse. The smile on the mint-haired girl's face as she officially welcome them into her home city might've been the first genuine expression Fie could recall the shifty girl ever wearing.
Even if the rest of Musse Egret was a mystery shrouded in chaos and headaches at least Fie could be certain she genuinely loved her hometown.
The area they were currently in was the Business District. Given the name its role in the city was pretty self explanatory. Plenty of hotels and big fancy shops adorned the streets, with the kind of central plaza one could expect to see in any major city in the middle of the place. Honestly the thing that most caught Fie's attention was the ice cream stand that sadly wasn't open yet.
Next Musse led them into the Noble District, another very self explanatory name. Fie wasn't sure if the place was more opulent than the same district in Saint-Arkh or not, but either way it wasn't a place she was a fan of. Beyond the many noble mansions – including a massive one that normally housed the Cayenne family – was Ordis' cathedral and a handful of smaller shops.
The next district would've been more to Fie's taste, except for the fact it was the Harbor District and the entire area reeked of fish and saltwater. As one of the largest ports in Zemuria it wasn't surprising that there were ships as far as the eye could see. And with ships naturally came lots of sailors. Even though it was still early in the day the streets were full and the bars sounded packed.
The only district that didn't have an extremely obvious name was the last one they visited – North Street. Still, given what was in the other districts it wasn't hard to guess that this was Ordis' primary residential district. Beyond housing there were a few restaurants and shops for locals, and a cute little flower stand that Fie couldn't help but be a little interested in.
Oh, and apparently Musse's family lived in a small mansion in the area. That was good to know. If there was ever a chance to dig up some fun dirt on that manipulative girl it would be found with her family.
Thanks to Ordis' circular layout North Street led them right back to the Business District where their tour had begun. Once they reached the central plaza Rean turned to the group, "Alright, have you decided on which request to tackle first?"
Juna glanced towards Fie. Understanding what was going through the other girl's mind the silver-haired girl gave a curt nod of the head. Juna received similar nods from Kurt, Ash, and Musse when she look towards them. Altina merely tilted her head in blank confusion. As one five voices spoke in unison, "Boats."
Altina pouted upon realizing she had been left behind by her classmates.
"Should've expected that, I guess." Their teacher responded blankly, "Alright, in that case let's head back to the docks."
The group began retracing their steps, but weren't even out of the district when Rean stopped them once again, "Before I forget. Fie..." She knew what he was about to ask as soon as he affixed his gaze onto her, "Are you going to be alright handling what may occur with that advisory request? If you want I can transfer you to Class VIII for the duration of the trip."
Great. Now all of her classmates were staring at her too. Feeling a little self-conscious the girl scratched her cheek nervously, "I mean... I guess I'm fine?"
"Fie..." Rean warned quietly
She responded with a helpless shrug and a grimace, "Sorry, but it's hard to given an answer to something I don't even know myself. Maybe I'll be fine. Maybe I won't. But what I do know is that Boss and the others have answers that I need." With that off her chest a little levity came back to the girl, "Plus, if we do end up investigating jaegers you're gonna want someone who actually understands jaegers. I bet none of you would even know the difference between a Nidhoggr or a Scorpion of Zahat."
Altina raised a hand. But since the girl was practically a walking terminal she was promptly ignored, causing her to once again pout.
"Well, alright." Rean answered at last. "So long as you're sure this is what you want to do. We'll be counting on your knowledge."
"..." Fie definitely wasn't sure, but she held her tongue and hoped the conversation was over.
"Can't say I give much of a damn about your sob story, but I'll gladly kick the ass of any dumb jaeger that tries to get in our way!"
The former Zephyr member rolled her eyes at Ash's bravado, "When I was a kid I remember Leo bending the barrel of a battle tank with his bare hands for no other reason than he could. And Boss is way stronger..."
"Uh..." Fie had to withhold her laugh at Ash's face. Brash punk he might've been, but an idiot he was not. Pick a fight with Zephyr at your own peril.
"I think what this moron is trying to say is that we've got your back." Juna responded with a wide grin, "Just uh... let's try to get your answers diplomatically first, yeah?"
Altina gave a small nod of support, "Xeno and Leonidas were both quite kind to me when we were working together during the war. I believe they'll at least listen to you first."
"And while I harbor few illusions of our victory, I do believe you've grown a lot stronger since Class VII was first formed. Strong enough to impress your old family, at least. Especially with our help." Kurt chimed in.
Musse tilted her head in thought, "They are jaegers, yes? While my family may not be as wealthy as someone like the Cayennes I should be able to procure enough mira to create a contract with them if that would help."
While Fie wasn't sure any of those suggestions were actually viable, the mere act of suggesting them was enough to cause a wide smile to form on her face. She turned back to Rean, "I'm sure."
The way Rean smiled proudly towards her left the girl feeling a little out of her element, "Well, alright then. That's good enough for me. Class VII, let's head out!"