After helping the poor doctor, Gerard, with delivering the medicine, Haru headed straight to the Rune Knights barracks. He was glad he started early because, otherwise, he would have had to either decline helping the doctor or risk being terribly late to his orientation. Neither of them would have made him happy. But now, he can comfortably make it in time.

As he approached Baska’s city hall, he could visibly notice the crowd thickening. People walked briskly with purpose; merchants focused on attracting customers and folks bartering for better prices. The busy streets brought a big smile on Haru’s face. Just as he thought how perfect the town was with its honest and hard-working citizens, he noticed a young kid steal food from one of the stalls and make a run for it. Haru began chasing the kid, but before he could move an inch, he saw one of the patrolling Rune Knight catch him. Haru’s big smile faded slowly. Of course, thieving is bad, and he would never condone it. However, this reminded him of how nothing is perfect. He could imagine the hunger that drove the kid to such extents. He promised himself he would strive to change the world an ideal place. And becoming a Rune Knight would be the first step he takes towards his goal.

With rejuvenated purpose, Haru stepped through the large iron gate of the barracks. He stated his purpose to the gatekeeper, who let him in and gave him directions to the orientation hall. “Straight to the hall. No wandering, you hear me? I’ll be watching you,” the ruff, bearded man yelled at him, as he walked towards the said direction. “Indeed, Sir,” Haru responded. Being called ‘Sir’ softened the gatekeeper’s attitude a little and he even grinned at Haru slightly in response. “Off you go now.”

As instructed, Haru walked past a few buildings, and entered the building opposite the large training grounds. Haru couldn’t help but notice the muscled men brawling in the training grounds. As he entered the hall, he hoped the orientation did not include a test of might against one of them. Once he was inside, he looked around for anyone he could approach.

Her fingers traced the stone walls of the alleyway that she traversed, comfortable in her own lone lane. Post her small excursion for that doctor, she had just enough time to make it to the rune knight quarters for this orientation thing. In the recesses of her mind, she was grateful that the doctor had approached her, it gave her something to do while she waited for it to be time, somehow it calmed her nerves, it helped her get a little more familiar with this new town. Having already been forced out of the darkness and amidst the town folk, made it easier for her to slide through the busy square for the last part of her journey towards the destination.

Upon arriving, she found herself in front of the large domineering iron gates... She sighed softly, despite not being as famous as all those guilds, the appeared that the cops had done decently well for themselves, the girl shrugged, maybe she wasn't settling after all, maybe it wasn't too bad that she ended up here. Her heart fluttered again, her palms a little sweaty as her fingers closed around the bars of the gate... A large man rushed out from the little cubicle beside the gate. 'State your business. This is the state of the art facility for the rune knights... You can't just-' she sized him up, scanning his beefy limbs, and the pot belly he was trying to suck in. 'I can just. I'm here for the orientation, now are you going to let me through or what?' she said, looking up at him through heavily-lidded eyes.

He didn't look to thrilled, she could see the conflict on his face, it seemed like he was looking for reason to keep her from entering, just to feel important probably. Akira tapped her foot, her eyebrows arched just a little, already bored with the proceedings. 'Oh alright then, in you go, past three buildings, take a left, right across the training grounds, the hall should be on your right...' he said, prying open the gate just enough for her to slink in. 'Yeah, thanks.' she muttered, not sounding grateful at all, as she slipped past him and made a bee-line for the hall, her eyes glued to her watch, still about ten minutes to go.

A stream of light from the door was the only thing that lit up the hall and it was deserted, which frankly was a welcome surprise for Akira, but a surprise nonetheless, because she'd expected more people. Did the gatekeeper have one on her and send her to the wrong place? Was she just too early? As the door slowly swung close behind her, she was swallowed in complete darkness, she leaned against the wall, her eyes quickly adjusting, her breathing even... it was so peaceful, she found herself wishing she could stay in this exact moment forever... Just then the door opened again and light splintered the blackness around her, the large shadow cast by the puffy hair was enough for her to recognize the person, it was that same scarred boy she'd run into at the hospital. She squinted at his silhouette 'You again? What, are you following me around now?' she demanded, placing her hands on her hips.

Haru’s instincts were right; he did meet the black-haired broody girl again. He opened the barracks door and there she was. “Hello there… again…” he said, muttering the last word softly and waving at the girl, with an idiotic smile on his face. When she began accusing him of following her, he shook both his hands and his head violently. “No! It’s not what you think. I’m here to join the Rune Knights,” he said urgently. Confused as to why she was here, he assumed she was still mad at the doctor. “Are you here to file a complaint against the doctor? I told you… He meant well. He was just-” he was cut short by a squad of Rune Knights entering the barracks. They didn’t seem to care that two young people were already inside, who clearly did not fit in. One of them even bumped against Haru, but didn’t bother to even react to it. The bunch were busy arguing over something.

As they simmered down, Haru approached them hesitantly. “Umm… Hello! I’m here for the orientation. Where should-” he was cut short again by the beefiest one among the group. “Yeah yeah… Just wait in a corner somewhere until you are called. Now, get away from here.” And with that, they began arguing amongst themselves again. “Thank you,” Haru responded, but it was drowned amidst all the chaos.

Just as he began walking away from the group, the door opened again, and an orange-haired lady walked in. The group of Rune Knights who entered before stopped their quarrelling immediately and approached her. From the looks of it, it seemed she was superior to all of them. She hushed them all and they yet prodded her with questions. Finally, she just shook her head and approached a list. Haru was in half a mind to ask her what he should be doing; but considering how the lower-ranked Knights treated him, he decided to heed their advice and wait until he was called. And he was called, along with another name. That’s when it struck him. The only other person who was here and not a part of Rune Knights yet was the black-haired girl. It seemed he was going to see her a lot more from then on. This sure will be interesting… Further to his surprise, the two were called by the superior in the room. He heard the word follow and his body automatically moved. “Uh! Yes, mam,” he blurted and began tailing his mentor.

One side of her lips tugged in a half-smirk as she rolled her eyes and went back to leaning against the wall, sure he'd have some stupid reason for being here. The one he offered made perfect sense... So he wanted to join the Rune Knights and do good and make a difference for the common people, yada yada yad. 'Of course.' she groaned, bitterly, this definitely made Aki's moment sourer. She hoped if she turned away he wouldn't make conversation, but he did. The do-gooder, now wanted to know why she was here and even had his own theories about it.

She reached in her pocket and pulled out a box of cigarettes, with a swift and easy motion, she plucked one out and placed it between her lips. 'Uh huh, that's exactly it...' she muttered,softly, through the teeth that closed around the butt of the cigarette. She had no intent to explain, to let him know that she too was a rookie in this god-forsaken place. It appeared as though he didn't care to actually hear her out anyways, of course he didn't he was just here to preach about how nice the doctor was 'I don't care if he-' she also spoke over him... and both of them were interrupted.

The door hadn't even swiveled shut completely and in came a load of people. Had she not have chosen the corner to lurk in, they looked like the sort who would knock her out of the way. She scanned them, wondering if the other rookies had finally arrived... but they appeared to jostled, too purposeful, they already had something to do, they weren't waiting around like her and this do-gooder. Obviously Mr. Over-eager approached them, when he was sent back, she wore a wide smirk. 'Brown noser.' It was almost sad, in a pathetic sort of way, but still, she wished he ran into more people like that, she had learned these harsh lessons very early and he looked older than her... Maybe it was already too late.

And then she walked in. The worker bees swarmed around this Queen Bee, the moment she stepped in, as she waved them away, much like they had waved away the orange head guy, Akira scanned the woman, head, 'Another orange head...' to toe her eyes resting on the gentle bump of the belly. 'Yup, probably has nothing else to do now, stuck in administration...' she scoffed to herself, softly. Just then, she heard her name called... and... the guy next to her responded to the second name. 'Damn.' So it was Harusturu something... the silly name was already beginning to fade, the only thing that stayed was that she may be stuck with him for longer. Unlike him, she took her own sweet time in straightening her t-shirt and then shrugging her shoulders, before slowly slinking towards the woman, staring into the eyes of those who wanted the higher up's attention but didn't get it... She took her place beside the guy, still chewing on the butt of the cigarette.

Haru kept a brisk pace, keeping up with their mentor. He noticed Akira take her time, but at least she caught up eventually. It wasn’t until he turned slightly to take a good look at her face that he noticed the cigarette bud resting between her lips. His eyes went wide and he began whispering to frantically. “Are you seriously going to be smoking in front of your superior?!” he asked, urging her to put it away before she was spotted by the lieutenant. However, none of his pleas seemed to have any effect on her.

When Alice told them they would be going outdoors, Haru followed promptly. He was quite excited about this; in fact so much so that he didn’t even realize how cold it was until he felt the fire’s warmth. Haru expected the question; he practiced a short speech the previous night as to why he joined the Rune Knights, explaining how much he wants to help the people and protect them from harm. However, when faced with the question, all he could do was nod and grin like an idiot. Lucky for him, Alice continued and did not make it any more awkward.

The words ‘test’ and ‘weapon’ made him gulp. Haru was a pacifist. He hated fighting. Sure, he understood that sometimes to protect someone, one has no option but to fight, and he appreciated those who did what was necessary. Nevertheless, he did not want to be part of the hurting. Instead, he wished to be part of healing and protecting. This was one principle that he would not back down on. So, he felt it was necessary to establish it right off the bat. When the lieutenant finished with her introduction, Haru bowed deeply and spoke respectfully. “Lieutenant Baskerville! I thank you greatly for this opportunity, and I hope we will be worthy of your guidance. However… I must say one thing before we proceed. I will not harm! I only wish to heal and protect. And I believe that will be good enough to uphold justice,” he said, without a shred of doubt in his tone.

With exaggerated patience, she  grunted her monosyllable, 'Yes.' and shrugged when he asked if she really was going to smoke in front of their superior. This guy was such a stickler for rules... At this rate her eyes would get stuck at the back of her head, with the number of times they'd roll around him.  The woman suggested they take their little meeting outside and Akira considered how she felt about that..The cold she was OK with, it was the brightness she had a problem with, which is why she preferred staying indoors... But the woman was right about one thing, this room was getting a bit too crowded, being outdoors would give her a chance to light her cigarette too.

As she straggled on behind them, her fingers slid to her pocket, her eyes widened for a second when she realized she'd forgotten her lighter... This day just keeps giving. If there was a point to complaining, she would have, but it was doubtful that her words would change anything. To complain was a waste of breath, was another thing she'd learned early in life. The girl shriveled a little, pulling her jacket tighter around herself, as the cold hit her again. She cupped her hands near her face, and blew into them, after rubbing them together, they slipped into her pocket.

To her slight amusement, she spotted a fireplace, finally something good. Once the woman headed towards the benches, the girl veered towards the warmth. Not only was it more comfortable there, it gave her chance to light her cigarette. Now, while she blew smoke, she never truly inhaled it into her lungs, or rather tried her best not to, it was mostly something she did to keep people at bay, or to find a reason to keep herself away from them. Since the woman was pregnant, she'd probably keep her distance till Aki had the cigarette around.

It was probably just a rhetorical question, but she was sure Tsuru would go into some long winded story that would make her want to throw up. Aki was tempted to say it was probably because they didn't cut it anywhere else. When he didn't say anything, she just settled for a soft 'Obviously, we're here aren't we...' That's when the woman gave them her speech, pretending like they had to be worthy to be here, reminding them that she is so much higher in ranks and how they are incapable of doing anything without supervision.

Folding her hands, Akira leaned against the warm wall by the fireplace. 'Lietenant eh? That's pretty high up, what mistake are you carrying around, to be stuck here with the scrubs?' Akira asked, chortling bitterly and pointedly staring at the woman's belly. Peeling herself off the wall, she took blew out a few more plumes of smoke from the side of her lips, and then began stretching. 'Whatever... Never mind, I'm ready for this test thing, what do I need to do?'

Tsuru took this opportunity to explain exactly how limited he was, how he was oh so noble and couldn't hurt anyone. It made the girl cringe visibly and snort rather audibly. 'Yeah sure, so if someone is hurting another, I suppose you could just keep healing the victim, only prolonging his suffering... Very helpful.' There was her trademark eye-roll again. She paused, to throw down her half finished cigarette, to the floor, with much frustrated force, she proceeded to crush it with her shoe, while staring at the boy... 'You ready or what? Can we get this done?'

Haru did not like how Akira treated their supervisor. He wanted to speak up and tell her how she should be respectful; but then, he realized he wasn’t here to parent her. Besides, it’s better if a higher official disciplined her anyway. So, he kept quiet and let her spew her pessimism. The young man was still oblivious to the little bump in Alice’s stomach. Not until she mentioned it herself loud and clear. “WHA-?! Congratulations Lieutenant!” he said, with his trademark toothy grin. He finally understood why the other officers inside were so interested in questioning her; and not to mention the constant prodding of Akira. She sure was very attentive. If nothing, he at least had to give that to her.

Akira’s pessimism was finally starting to get on his nerves. “Or I could stop the harm from happening so that there are no injuries for me to heal,” he said, in a matter-of-fact tone, letting out his annoyed side for just a moment. Unlike his fellow Page, Alice encouraged his approach. A Lieutenant not dismissing it as a bad idea, gave him quite the confidence boost. “Thank you, ma’am. I look forward to my task,” he said.

It was finally time to start the test. Seeing how Akira was so eager to get it over with, Haru figured she would be going first. Just when they were about to start, they were interrupted by a golden-haired guy and a blue-furred animal being chased down by the gatekeeper. When Alice said they were with her, Haru couldn’t help but wonder if the blonde was her fiancé. However, his theory was thrown out almost immediately when he saw the blonde boy transform into a yellow-furred animal. Now he was confused if the boy used take-over magic to transform into the animal or if he was originally the animal who could transform into a human. It didn’t seem like he would have much time to ponder over that, since the test was about to begin. Haru sat on the bench with folded legs, ready to witness his teammate’s and mentor’s magic for the first time.

'Which of course is why marriage is coming after...' she muttered pretty under her breath, but not too careful. She echoed the congratulation louder, but with much indifference. Did the lieutenant now want a medal for landing a guy with the classic hit or miss, I'm-carrying-your-child thing? When she posed her next question, Akira arched her eyebrows 'Is that the test then? Our assumptions?' she responded, counter questioning with exaggerated disbelief. So now they didn't even have a test already in place... 'I can just do whatever I want?' she groaned, it was still pretty light out, her magic wasn't going to be all that strong, her mind began flicking through the spell options nonetheless.

Absently, she watched the healer, his discomfort by her mere existence, she narrowed her eyes at him, it wasn't like she loved him being around either. He argued her question nonsensically, so his entire plan was to just foresee bad things and over-heal people so they didn't get injured or something? She couldn't be bothered to have that debate with him, not in wake of the test... And the lieutenant actually praised him for it... She was wrong in thinking some place is better than none. None seemed like a damn ripe option. 'Hate to interrupt, but can I start then?' she said, staring at the two orange heads.

But it seemed like interruptions were something she'd have to get used to around here. At this point, she didn't really expect better of this poorly run band of cops. The burly gatekeeper had his hands full... A man and a creature, and for some reason beyond Aki, he decided to bring his problems here, effectively delaying her test. 'Just let me know when you're done... I'll be right over here... unfortunately.' her voice was considerably softer  She groaned and leaned back against the wall, placing one foot on it and tapping impatiently. She sized up the other man, with the blonde hued mane... Akira almost liked the shrewd demeanor, looked like he meant business, till Alice called him deary... and then he turned into a freaking animal, pretty similar to the other one that lay curled.

Akira wondered if she'd have to fight the pets, then... Till the lieutenant declared her own intent to fight. 'Wait, what? You're going to fight me?' her lids fell over her eyes, almost bored. Akira knew she would lose, even with that woman being pregnant, she had far too much experience. Besides, it wasn't like the girl would exploit that and risk hurting or endangering the poor baby's life. 'Oh I'm ready...' she said as she doubled over to reach for the dagger wedged in her ankle-strap, plucked it out swiftly and then pointedly threw it to the floor. Sure Akira was sharp, but she had no intentions to deliberately harm someone, this was her way of showing that. 'Guess this is the only thing you get to feel good about it, beating rookies. Let's get this over with then.'

As it seemed to brighten around them, Akira's eyes widened, she looked up at the sky to see if the breeze had pushed some cloud away, but no... it all looked the way it did before, which meant... Either Alice or Tsuru were doing something. Tsuru was too much of a rule follower to butt in, so that was it, Alice possessed some sort of light magic. The wide eyes slowly began squinting. It was like someone muzzled the darkness within her. She staggered away from the fireplace, now it was getting hotter... Too hot. Akira breathing got more strenuous. This felt bad, really bad. Of course she chose this time to lecture Akira. Great, now she's going to almost incapacitate me just so she can talk, but even the thought seemed muted... soft in her head.

She could smell the stench of that pretentious answer a mile away. Her face contorted a little. Ms. Lieutenant, so contained, so careful with her words. 'Yeah yeah, you've got to say that, because you can't admit the truth, too... inappropriate...' she tried to speak clearly, but her voice wasn't loud enough and it was a bit cracked, that increased the panic she felt. Yeah sure, only defend herself after Akira was already weakened. But slowly the pressure she felt, the discomfort it began waning, the grip on her was loosened.

She took a few quick gulps of air, like she was breathing after a long time. Her darkness, that had recoiled sprung back, almost engulfing her entirely. As the prospect of some sort of a fight neared, her dark parts stirred, no longer just the soft pessimistic voice that muttered through Akira, it was pissed, angry at being manipulated by the brightness around, it now wanted to scream... it now wanted to... to hurt.

Akira winced, setting her eyes on the baby bump again, biting her lip. Yes she was annoyed, but she didn't want to do anything stupid. She sighed softly, fighting for control, shaking ever so slightly, like a gentle shiver in the cold. 'You knew! You knew I was a wielder of darkness! Feel good yet or you want to do some more?' Her tongue rolled, in her mouth, she knew she was pushing too much, yet she couldn't stop herself.

She bit her lip and for a second went slack, like she'd lost all her drive, like some voice telling her this fight and bitterness was worth it, just lost. 'Whatever. I'll show you, you don't even have to defend...' She went through the motions of her spells... Mechanically, the first 4 were fine, nothing too fancy, in fact they looked significantly underwhelming... Devastate, Dissolve, Dampen... Dominate. But that's when it happened, the moment she gave the darkness the slightest bit of reign,  in attempt to buff her strength, it snatched for it all.
The darkness made a sudden grab for power, rendering Aki's resistance useless, it prodded her to do more, to be better... Reminding her of how frustrating her day had been. 'You happy? you done being a bully?' she screamed with a slightly crazed look in her eye, when she released her disintegrating beam it went straight for Alice's chest, no warning... nothing the darkness just lashed out like it had nothing to lose...

Akira was briefly distracted by the furry creature... Its protective nature and she found the small part inside her that craved the same, that wanted to be cared for and protected, by someone, but this stupid darkness inside her,made it so.... difficult. She wanted to redirect the beam, but it was already on its way now. Akira cringed, she really had no intention of making this personal. But the attack, dregs of darkness faded in front of her as her disintegrating beam, was in fact the one that was disintegrated. She knew that would happen, the defense was quick and effortless, the lieutenant was probably never at any real risk, but she... she now was.

The measure words that were spoken to her next, she had already heard before. This is why she never bothered saying anything, everyone assumed she was just whining. That wasn't exactly a lie, she was a bit of a grumbler, but it wasn't all her, the darkness inside made everything more frustrating. The bully thing though, that definitely wasn't her, she was the kind who stood up for the bullied, if ever it was the other way around, it was because momentarily the darkness had won over her.

However, Akira was just about to encounter a rather brutal reality... Alice hadn't performed a defensive spell, but an offensive one. There was no time to assess how she felt about this, definitely no time to form indignant words to yell... She gulped, her eyes squinting, she didn't really have the energy or resources to perform anymore spells to attempt defending herself. The girl had just about conducted them all. The darkness scurried into its small place, defeated... cowardly. This was it.

Akira only lifted her hands meekly, in a pathetic attempt to shield herself before the light hit her. When it did, it was quite akin to being physically attacked... hard. It knocked all the air out of her lungs and made h er feel quite nauseous, quite like before with the pressure... but this was all at once. She staggered backwards... tripping, her body seemed to have no energy to stop her fall, so she fell, her head hit the hard ground below and everything around her dimmed, till darkness swallowed her consciousness.

Sitting on the bench, Haru watched the progression calmly. He had not come to terms with the fact that Akira was going to keep provoking the lieutenant. Surely, she doesn’t think she is better than the lieutenant, does she? He wondered. It was as though she wanted Alice to go all out and hurt her. For a second, he started to believe if that was true. The pressure came suddenly and hit hard. He had no doubt it was Alice’s doing. It was as if the climate changed in a second. The cold was gone and Haru felt like he was on a mid-day desert. And it was not just the temperature. He could also feel something invisible, almost suffocating him. Haru was worried if Akira had gone too far and made Alice mad enough to hurt them. But thankfully, the pressure retreated eventually, leaving Haru breathless.

The fight hadn’t even begun, and he noticed Akira struggling. For reasons he would soon witness, Alice’s Solar Magic affected her a lot more than it did him. When Akira finally recovered, she began portraying her skills. Darkness?! Really? WHY?!! Haru despised darkness magic. He looked down, depressed, and began muttering, cursing his luck. He finally snapped out of it when he saw a burst of dark beam head towards Alice. At first, he thought it would be easy for a lieutenant to dodge or deflect it. But when she didn’t react at all, he got a little worried. And then, in the blink of an eye, Alice countered the dark beam with her own light magic, which not only decimated Akira’s attack, but also pierced through, heading straight towards Akira.

Haru was sure Akira wouldn’t be able to dodge it. She saw it too late and he wasn’t sure if she could have done anything even if she did see it before. Haru knew Alice wouldn’t hurt her, but he couldn’t help but jump in to defend. His body moved automatically. He got off the bench, rushed towards Akira and cast Windshield around her in an attempt to stop the attack. But he was too late. Alice’s attack had already made contact by the time his shield formed, and it knocked Akira out. Haru skid to a stop, realizing what he had done. He turned towards Alice and began apologizing. “I’m so sorry Lieutenant. I shouldn’t have done that. I just couldn’t help it…” he said, looking down at Akira. Even then, he was itching to heal Akira, but he didn’t dare do it without permission. “Can- Can I heal her?” he asked, kneeling beside Akira, waiting for the order.

The boy was too naïve to understand the wise words. While he did agree on training to get faster both physically and mentally, he found it extremely hard to comprehend that not everyone needed protection from harm. Nevertheless, he did not argue. With a half-hearted nod, he turned to Akira once he was told he can heal her. Haru wasn’t sure if this was his test or not. He couldn’t read anything from Alice’s reactions. In any case, this was not the time to worry about his performance. Clearing his throat, he placed one hand on Akira’s head and the other over her heart. By altering the blood density slightly, he gently pushed a little more blood towards her brain, bringing her back to consciousness. She would find her extremities to be a bit cold and numb, but it wouldn’t be anything she couldn’t handle.

As his magic began taking its effect, he noticed her strained face slowly turn into a calm and serene one. He wondered what made the girl so bitter that she would never show this face when she was conscious. When he was done, he would help Akira sit up and speak softly. “Wouldn’t recommend getting up immediately.” For a second, that phrase took him back to a scene full of fire and screams. With a quick shake of his head, he was back in the present. Was that… He shook his head again, reminding himself that it was not the time. He stood up and readied himself for whatever test the lieutenant had in mind for him. “I’m ready for my test, Lieutenant!”

As her consciousness slowly returned, she felt rather groggy and still pretty nauseated, although that could be because of a multitude of reasons. Her eyes opened a crack and she noticed the plume of red-orange poof, the one that already seemed to be haunting her and she'd probably spent less than an hour in his presence. 'Tsuru...' she tried, but her voice sounds so frail, that is almost sounded like she was grateful, or pleading... basically something entirely different from the frustration she poured into it.

'...You...' she tried next, craning her neck to attempt seeing the face of the lieutenant who attacked her. She didn't really want to grace this moment with any complains, or something akin to whining considering the clarity with which she recalled the words she heard from issued from that face, just moments before she passed out. It was like that whole speech had been branded into her mind and her darkness fought to reject every word... but she herself was considering it, well parts anyways.

Slowly the cloud in her head cleared and she shook it vigorously as she pulled herself into a sitting position, the sudden motion caused a dull throbbing ache to form in the back of her head. 'Are we done?' she asked simply, the distortion in her voice, making it sound gravelly. She knew this test was mostly to assess her abilities, unless she royally screwed up the knights weren't going to kick her out or anything. 'Can you just tell me what I need to do? and then I'm gone...' she added, after clearing her throat, this conversation, this orientation, this whatever it was, was over for Akira and she hoped she didn't have to see this Ms.... or soon to be Mrs. busy Lieutenant again.

Despite Akira calling him ‘Tsuru’ throughout the day, this was the first time he heard her clearly. He frowned and smiled at the same, debating whether he should correct her once she is awake or let her keep calling him that. Indecisive, he chose to let it go for the moment. He sat there rubbing her back, while Jupiter gave her water. The silence gave him time to completely process what had happened. It was just a test. The lieutenant was never going to hurt her for real. Yet, she was knocked out. It showed the clear difference in power between them rookies and a veteran. And it also meant there were equally powerful wrong-doers out there. If this had been an actual fight, they wouldn’t stand a chance. Haru gulped, realizing in some situations, retreat might be their only option. He had plenty of questions. For example, what was he supposed to do when someone else was in danger and he was the only one around; but he knew there was no way he could defeat the opponent? He knew the right answer; but knowing is different from doing. When the time came, would he be able to overcome his fear and do the right thing? Hopefully, the young man will soon realize that was what it meant to be a Rune Knight.

As he stood up and announced his readiness for the test, the lieutenant gave him a pleasant surprise. His doubt was not baseless; healing Akira was his test and it would seem he had passed. With his signature wide grin, he bowed deeply and thanked Alice. “Thank you very much Lieutenant! I will do my best,” he said. He watched as his fellow mate was lectured about getting her magic under control. He wondered if he would be able to ever say that to someone after knocking them out. I guess having the courage to face and tell the harsh truth is part of becoming a Lieutenant, he thought to himself.

Now that the two of them had completed their test, he figured it would be time for them to be assigned into squads and sent off on their first quest. Haru took Alice’s advice to heart: to think and act fast. Being a protector and healer, he reckoned those were the fundamentals he must work on. With no past to reminisce and only the present to live, the scarlet-haired teen was ready for his orders.

Now she's concerned Akira thought, bitterly, but she didn't speak her mind. Since there wasn't much point to that, and she chose silence over giving Alice or Tsuru what they wanted to hear. Her throat was feeling a bit parched though... So she wasn't going to deny the water. As the creature skulked away, clearly unhappy about leaving Alice's side, she closed her eyes and craned her neck, stretching it, getting a feel for her body again. Despite everything she had endured in life, being on the receiving end of a magic spell was not something she had encountered before, so in way she was grateful she experienced it now, in a relatively contained environment, but Goldilocks wasn't off the hook, because that wasn't her noble intention...

Despite Jupiter's prickly demeanor, it was easy for Akira to accept him, the beast was doing his job. This is where creatures were so much easy to tolerate, to forgive... even to like, they were true to themselves, to their duties, to their loyalties. Most animal's didn't discern, between anything more than safety and danger and typically, you'd get what you gave. The girl, with darkness dwelling inside her, couldn't fault Jupiter for one second even if he had made himself a true pain in her backside, even if he felt the need to defend Alice. He was honest and that is all that mattered, true to his instincts. Her fingers closed around the glass he offered and she offered him a wry smile, almost apologetic, not for hurting Alice, but for hurting the one he liked, his object of concern, his person.

Alice rubbed it in her face, by telling Tsuru he passed. The woman had the nerve to tell Akira that she needed to control her magic, while it wasn't a lie, she didn't want to hear it from this lieutenant. 'That's rich coming from you...' she muttered through grit teeth. When the woman had the nerve to insinuate that her getting injured was her own fault, Akira's voice sharpened, she flicked her hair out of her eyes and stared at the woman squarely, even though she was in a position of weakness, a scrub and on the ground, Akira wouldn't let this woman walk away, pinning her lack of foresight and mistake on her. Akira got off the ground, never breaking eye contact, she dusted her clothes and walked up to Alice, breathing deeply... eerily calm.

Softly she said, 'I accept that I'm imperfect, I know the magic inside me and I, are often in conflict...' It would have been grand if she had stopped just there, like her self-serving pessimistic darkness urged her to, to not waste her breath, to keep things on an even keel, but her magic failed. What she said next, wasn't her darkness talking, it wasn't bitter or sarcastic, it was good ol' indignant Akira, refusing to stand down. Despite gritting her teeth, the girl was loud and clear 'But... with all due respect, it wasn't my magic that hurt me...' Redundantly she straightened her jacket, having said what she wanted to, she took a few steps back, still seething. She wanted to say so much more...

While Akira was still more her and less her darkness, she turned to Tsuru. 'Congratulations...' she said. Not too gleeful, not bitter, perhaps a little jealous that he had it so much easier... Or so it appeared. But then slowly as she calmed herself, her darkness returned and compelled her to add. 'For the little that it is worth...' and her gentle smile was gone, her eagerness to get this over with returned. 'I'm ready for my orders too. Lieutenant.'

Seeing Akira smile at Jupiter made Haru believe the fight had humbled her into respecting the Lieutenant. His belief was further bolstered when he heard her accept she was imperfect, bringing a smile to his face. He thought the girl had some hope after all. But all that came crashing down when she finished her next sentence. And there she goes…

Although he agreed with Alice’s response, he did not nod or show any sign of approval fearing he would look condescending. Besides, the last thing he wanted was for the girl to feel any more cornered and out of place. That was not going to be conducive for change. He had hopes up again when Akira congratulated him, but once again, it was shattered thanks to her following comment. “Thanks! Congratulations to you too,” he said, little less enthusiastically than he would have had she not mentioned her opinion regarding its worth.

‘Train and patrol different towns.’ That part brought a big smile to his face. After all, he joined the Rune Knights to be useful and to travel. But that smile quickly faded into a weak strained one, when Alice said he must team up with Akira. He surely hoped to get a more cheerful partner, but he wasn’t going to complain. He convinced himself that it was too early to judge her; after all, they hardly know each other. He was willing to give it the best shot he can before giving up. “Understood, Lieutenant,” he said, before turning towards Akira and extending his hand with a smile. “Looking forward to working with you.”

Whether she responded or not, Haru would follow her. She may not like him, and he may be wary of her. But all that mattered was whether the two can fulfil their duties as a team when needed. How hard could that be? It was one of those questions that brought confidence and doubt at the same time.

-Exit-

This conversation was now  redundant, clearly the rookie and the lieutenant were at an impasse, Akira just took at as a victory that the woman bothered over-explaining so much. She let the words stream into her ear and then into her mind, she sieved them thoroughly to check if there was anything of value there. It turned out there was nothing that offered any wisdom, at least not in what the woman said. Akira wore a look of impassiveness, and placed her hands into her pockets. Impasse is what this would be, but at least it was interesting to see the woman try.

The dark-dweller wielder was well aware of her own limitations, but this orientation wasn't an entire waste of time, even though the woman clearly lost control too, the source didn't matter, it was imperative that Akira felt what it was like to be on a receiving end of an attack. Only now could she understand why she needed to avoid it, the rate and which some could get to her and how to think on her feet. She also learned to never let her guard down, something she thought was already ingrained in her. Emotionally maybe, physically she needed work.

In specificity, she needed to learn how to deal with counterattacks. Akira took her time to train whenever she felt inclined, she wasn't as rigorous, but her curiosity often drove her to try things, not to mention, she liked how something in this word was unique to just her, something that came easily to her. There was always room for improvement, and she was sure her current job description as explained by the woman, wouldn't require much dedication or perfection.

Then came the real kicker, somehow through the addition of the last clause, Akira managed to maintain her poker face, driven solely by the intent of not giving the woman the satisfaction of seeing her shock or displeasure. She was stuck at the hip with Tsuru... She had hoped after everything that transpired today, maybe he'd say something, but of course he didn't, she doubted he had the spine to stand up to anyone, let alone a person in power. Now it was her personal mission to see if he could really keep up... She wanted him to go squeal to someone eventually, so the two could be unglued.

This was blatant abuse of power... In case he survived and stuck around, Akira's mind was already racing to figure out if there was a real way Alice could enforce this rule... If the job got done would anyone ask whether Tsuru was with her or not? With that the woman went onto give them details which Akira didn't care much for and intended on never using. She made known, in a rather snarky manner, before turning to leave. 'I'd hate to bother you with letters and meetings and such, I'm sure you're very busy, lieutenant. We best get to it then.'