A moment after Nolan seated himself, a familiar friend plopped down at his table. Fleo was, as one might expect, in a jolly mood, and the colorful arrangement of fruit and jam-spattered toast on her plate confirmed that she was feeling energetic. Today, she wore a dark blue zip-up blouse with black patches and a similarly-colored peaked cap, along with her typical bandages. Her hair was bunched up in the hat instead of worn loose, giving her a somewhat tomboyish look. ”Good morning, Nolan, Dalton! You guys sleep well? There must have been a huuuuuuge crow near the hotel, 'cause I heard the rat bastard squawking way past curfew. After that, it was good. No dreams. Day two of the games is here, I'm so excited!” She was practically dancing in her seat. ”Do you think you'll be fighting today?”
Zander Louvier – Frenzy Plant Camp
”Are you sure you want to do this?”
The sun had barely started to rise, certainly not high enough to shine through the trees of Crocus's park and illuminate the Frenzy Plant camp. The rhythmic rustle of the trees had been a soothing lullaby for many of the soldier guild's members, but there had been at least two hearts that the whisper of the leaves wouldn't becalm. One of them belonged to Zander, whose oftentimes-overcautious nature had remained on edge even after his patrol with Magni last night had turned uneventful. Volunteering for the late shift, he'd walked the perimeter of the park at a leisurely pace. Twice he'd been interrupted. The first was the arrival of Ludo, who by startling Zander nearly incurred a grievous wound, and who afterward explained his encounter with Jack the Jester. Later on, Zander could have sworn he saw the same woman, a comely and full-figured redhead in a strange hat, walking by the park on three separate occasions. It left the Ruby Knight uneasy, even as he drifted into sleep.
The other heart belonged to Hyun.
Her arrival and miracle recovery had caused the guild to go, for lack of a better word, nuts. Friends she didn't know she had came up, enveloped her in a bear hug or insisted on shaking her hand, and wished her well. Her tried and true companions, meanwhile, were even more ecstatic to see her. The change in her eyes and general presence were, if ever noticed, completely ignored. Everyone, including Zander, was just glad to have her back, even if she came back different. Many had inquired, with more or less tact, exactly how she'd regained the will to live. Unfortunately, Hyun could not explain it to them, feeling that her strange dream was not something to be telling everyone who came her way.
Now that morning had come, she had arisen bright and early and requested Zander's presence. Once the two had suited up, Zander taking some time to get over his early-morning blindness, Hyun had requested nothing less than an S-class trial then and there. Predictably, Zander was worried. She'd been beaten once before, by him no less. He feared for both her body and her mind.
Hyun, however, was not afraid. ”Very sure. Shall we dance?”
”As you wish.” Zander stepped forward, drawing his sword and slashing in the same motion. The swordswoman answered it in kind, drawing a katana straight up, blocking with it before hopping back and fully removing the blade. She performed a wild, telegraphed swing, one that had no hope whatsoever of hitting an experienced opponent, and Zander was quick to capitalize on it. The thought flashed through his head that it was odd for Hyun of all people to be doing such a novice move. He did not expect that she might have done it on purpose.
It happened in an instant. A golden magic circle appeared on the ground beneath Hyun's feet for a split second, and in that time the woman disappeared. She reappeared several feet above, already executing a falling turbine slash, and with Zander committed to his punishing strike he himself was an easy target. Startled and confused, the Ruby Knight jumped backward. ”What was that? You couldn't do that before.”
Hyun's eyes glinted and she smiled. Seeing her smile was strange in and of itself: she practically never did so. ”Simple. I canceled my move into another one. This magic skips recovery, setup, and repositioning. I knew you'd rush to take advantage on any perceived error. Aren't we going to keep dancing, Zander?”
The Ruby Knight breathed out a heavy sigh. Something weird was afoot. Hyun was smiling, using new magic, and referring to him by his first name. He suspected he might be in for a challenge.
Ten minutes later, the flaps to General Sanders' tent opened. The master of Frenzy Plant looked up from a game of chess with himself to see Zander in a state of disarray. He was bleeding lightly from a half dozen cuts, sporting several new bruises, featured dented armor and even cut hair. ”Louvier? What happened?” After Zander, Hyun entered the tent. Her brown hair had been pulled back and tied in a ponytail, and her eyes gleamed a satisfied, metallic gold. These were the only things different; she didn't have a mark on her.
”Sir. We've got a new S-class wizard on our hands.”
