"I get the feeling that Professor Colt might have a bone to pick with you, we're always the one he picks on to clean up the gym." Torren talked Erai's ear off as they were gathering the rest of the training equipment, coming across Ren from Class 1B, as he worked on sweeping the floors.
"Everyone gets assigned the same task during joint PT class. I can't exactly say that sweeping the entire gymnasium is all that fun either. Crazy that the last time we spoke was in this place." He added though the sweat riddled across his forehead showed he was just as worn from their task.
"The Configuration, huh? Everyone was so tense back then I think getting to know each other was probably the last thing on our minds." Erai tried to laugh off the awkwardness.
"I don't blame you. Well then just so you keep it in my for the future, the name's Ren Gladiolus, you're Shynerai, right?"
"I kind of feel bad for forgetting your name now. It's nice to meet you, Ren. This is Torren, we're in the same class."
"It would seem that Class 1B and Class 1F would like to extend their joint-training session by another hour, that is, unless they hurry up with the cleaning." The educator's voice boomed across the hall at the trio, prompting them to get back to work.
"See you around, Shynerai."
"Seriously! How did he spot us from across the gym...did you take a piss in his coffee or something?" Torren teased him as they stocked up the equipment room.
At the sound of the ringing bell, the professor gave the room a quick once over before letting them go. Signaling the end of the day. While Torren and Erai moved to the locker room, they received a message from Ketsu to stop by their classroom after they were done.
They soon left the gym on their way to the school building.
"I feel like we should have stopped for snacks before coming here, I'm starving..."
"I don't know about snacks, but I'm definitely hungry." Erai answered with the same desire as they got into the classroom.
"Wow, you guys are actually early for a change, what happened?" Tersia mocked the hungry duo who wore their fatigue in an obvious display.
"Just starving, I can't believe how fast we burned through our lunch..." Erai blurted as they joined the group. Waiting only a few more minutes before Ketsu would arrive alongside Stephen and Sergei.
"Ah, you're all here, that's good." Closing the door as the rest of them got seated.
"Ketsu, I do enjoy these after school meetings, but I could literally eat a horse right now. Did we really need to be here...I mean all of us?" Torren joked, despite Erai's silent glares protesting.
"Mr. Sujing, you're correct. However, I wanted to treat you all to a job well done while we discussed something important."
"A treat?" The group resounded as though they were a choir.
"Yes. My treat. You've all done quite well for going along with my 'eccentric methods' so I thought why not have a little celebration. Besides, the recovery therapy we received tends to burn through a full stomach so I thought this could help." Smiling with a look of pride as their stomachs growled with a singular desire.
"Well then let's get going." Torren leapt out of his chair towards the door in anticipation.
"Where do we plan on eating, Ketsu?" Stephen paused for a moment to ask as the class cleared out.
"Hmm, let's just call it a surprise." Ushering Stephen out of the class as they were the last ones in the classroom.
They followed him out of the school grounds. Walking past the entrance to the tram station below and out of the school gates, Ketsu called to them to stay close as they made their way West through Deep City.
Going past a few places that caught the attention of those who were new to Aria, Stephen noted them as they came by. From the impressive sparkling glass dome of the Ivyfront Mall to the illustrious frame of the Halcyon Square General Hospital reaching skyward towards High City above.
"Hey, Ketsu...If we go any further, we might end up in the Sword Oak forest, or were you planning a camping trip this whole time?" Stephen questioned with an unusually concerned tone.
"Oh, there's a pretty good hole in the wall right over there." Getting to the outskirts of the Western Edge, a lush stretch of tall redwoods piercing the sky above, as though they were a field of discarded blades.
With various roads cutting into the cover of the canopy, Ketsu guided them to a nearby shop. "Bellerophon Dealership" where they were able to get a vehicle.
"Captain, since when are you allowed to drive?" They wondered, while he continued to focus on the road with a shrug being all he could think of as an answer.
'I can't exactly explain what I do for the Student Council....but I am happy they at least listened to my demands, I don't think I want to see another Teleportation Seal for a while.' He thought as the car tread across the road with an auburn glow cast from the tall lights along the way, through the forest.
Eventually, a sign ahead caught Stephen and Ketsu's eye, bringing them to a stop.
"What! Why are we here! Ketsu...explain?" Jumping out of the car and checking his surroundings.
"That would be a little hard to explain–" Ketsu responded as he parked not too far from the path that led away from the sign.
"FAE's Breath! Steph, is that you?" A voice from beyond the path that stretched from the sign boomed at the car.
"Huh. Hey Dad. It's been a while."
"Dad?!"
Before he could let out another word, the pale-brown mane of an approaching stalwart frame danced around to the wind as they stepped up and grabbed Stephen in their arms as though he was bound in the hands of a giant.
"You go off into the city and all of a sudden you stop talking to your family...what did they do to you to make you forget our ways?" Squeezing him tighter and higher as his struggling lessened in the face of his father's grip.
"It's nice to meet you, sir. My name is Ketsuiko, a friend of your son. I set up a reservation earlier today." Ketsu walked up to the awkward pair and offered his hand.
"A friend, so you haven't forgotten our ways. It's a pleasure to meet you all, my name is Julio Markholdz and this walking scowl is my precious son. Welcome to our family restaurant, the 'Open Table'. Come on in." The vibrant figure used his impressive frame to shepherd the stunned group on the establishment
"Honey, we've got company. A table for six and one special guest!" He roared as they entered, with a presence that shook the calm ambience most of the patrons were enjoying.
"Sigh...you planned this all along, I can't prove it but I know you did." Stephen whispered to the inattentive Ketsu who seemed far too eager to meet his family.
"A quiet night does not mean an off night dear, you're gonna frighten the customers with all that yelling. Now, what's this about a special guest–" A lithe woman of pale moon beauty stepped out from beyond the counter, meeting the guests and revealing the glimmering blue eyes crowned by golden locks.
"Hi mom, it's been a while–"
" Steph! You're home." Leaping towards the young man as if all the other words she had heard meant nothing. But to everyone's shock, Stephen immediately took a step back.
"Training with your grandfather in secret, promising your father not to tell me anything, joining the Academy to become a Guardian, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" The lady's fair expression was replaced with a demonic fury as she chased down her wayward son.
They eventually came to a halt after Julio stepped in to quell his wife's wrath, only to be met by her full force, the shame of which brought calm to her as she returned with smiles and all to greet the terrified guests.
"Sorry about that, dearies. Please come and sit, you all must be Steph's friends." She spoke with a surprisingly friendly air and led them to an empty table.
"This wonderful fireball of fury is my wife, Serana." Stephen's father tried to speak with a grasp of his nose to stop any more bleeding.
"This was quite a surprise, I can't fault her for her excitement." Turning to his son who seemed locked in his mother's embrace.
"Oh, dear, look at this one, he's the spitting image of Yuzen, right down to the unruly hair." Commenting with a smile as she ruffled through Torren's hair.
"Excuse me but who is Yuzen?" Torren asked as he tried to hide his fluster.
"Yuzen is Steph's little cousin. He used to follow him around all the time when they were kids, even before we came to the forest. He'd always try to play with him despite how pouty Steph would be. I always thought he was too embarrassed to tell him that he also liked to play."
A blue-eyed glare sparked from Stephen helped to keep any words Torren had at bay. Taking the warning to hold his tongue and return his attention to the delicious meal.
"Well what do you guys think, I don't want to hear any crap about our food." Stephen blurted just as his mother pulled on his ear.
"Language, Steph. Please enjoy to your heart's content."
"Ketsu, you said that we would be discussing something important right?" Stephen managed to free himself as he asked the delighted Captain.
"There are about three weeks left before the Carnival, which doesn't leave us with much time on our hands to do more training."
"Do you have a training regime for us or something?" Tersia.
"Not quite, since they haven't disclosed the events that would take place, I couldn't reliably state what aspect requires focus. You'll all need to take the time to improve, and I'll make sure that you have what you need to do so" He answered.
"Alright, so what's the plan?"
"Tomorrow we're going to pay the Academy's Warsmith a visit."
"Warsmith, never heard of him? Is he the school's craftsman or something?" Stephen wondered as he passed the incoming tray of food to those nearby.
"It's a lot more complicated than that, Stephen. From what I've heard, he is responsible for the upkeep of the Student General's Arms and even takes requests from students to make modifications, special treasures and the like."
"I managed to book an appointment with him. I was hoping he could help point us in the right direction when it comes to our abilities and maybe even get a certain someone a Soul Arm."
Shynerai's eyes beamed with curiosity at the sound of those words.
"Finally, I couldn't help but feel like I was going to hold the rest of you back in the Carnival. Going against Class 1A was a lot harder than I expected, I barely won by surprising them." Shynerai professed, instinctively looking upon the scars on his hands.
"Using your opponent's arrogance to your advantage isn't a weakness. Its strategy. So don't fret, as long as you keep doing all you can, you won't hold us back." Ketsu assured him.
"Besides your lack of a SoulArm still has you marked as an unknown quantity, so make no mistake I plan on making good use of it, for our class's strength lies in the fact that we are the unknown quantity." Ketsu stood and spoke with a cadence that caught the attention of the patrons, while Stephen lessened the gaze on their table by seating him back down.
Finding it strange that his parents had not entertained his class' antics, Stephen turned to them to apologize only to find them cherishing their display:
"Look at him, honey, he has friends that actually listen to him...even with his abrasive personality our son didn't end up as an anti-social delinquent." Much to the enjoyment of his classmates.
"That's enough about me, only eating good food and then going home." Cutting their tearful words with his declaration, with the same piercing stare even silencing the snorts and chuckles that slipped out from his classmates.