"Ugh," Amur whines, taking the plunger in her hammers and slamming it down in the smelly toilet. "This is tots gross! Give the janitor a raise!"
"It could be worse," Chase said, blankly cleaning another toilet with precision and detail. "Ah, someone is really healthy."
"Gross!" Amur exclaims, shaking her head, but the movement must have cause a hard pull on her hair, because her worn out hair tie breaks, the blue ribbon snapped and landing on the ground.
"Crap!" Amur said, quickly standing up and washing her hands before she holds her long hair up. "I broke my favorite hair tie!"
"Did you bring any extras?" Zayn calls, wiping down the bathroom's mirror with grace. "You usually bring extras."
"Honestly I was so shocked that the big oaf let us off so easy I forgot to grab one." Amur said, tilting her head and staring at the sun seeping through the bathroom's mirrors. "He honestly earned my respect today, so I won't say too much."
"I didn't bring any extras either," Ramon said, sweeping the bathroom floor, "and I'm sure Zayn didn't bring any...no offense."
"None taken Monie!" Zayn chirps, causing Ramon to drop her broom and flinch at the nickname. "Should I run to the room and get you some extras?"
"I mean.." Amur said, staring at the broken tie in her hair. "Yeah, I'd 'preciate it lil' sis. I would use my brush, but the oaf said no magic while we do this, and I'd like to stay on his at-least-okay side."
Zayn happily nods, putting down her cloth and spray to jog out the bathroom and bide a quick farewell as she heads to her and Amur's room. Zayn walks through the Black Fawne's headquarters, taking in the main buildings' slim black form as it reaches heights above, it's construction created for the main building to look like a tower of Gods or something like that.
Zayn walks by other knights training and having lunch outside and simple taking a walk and--Black Fawne feels like an academy to Zayn, a place where like-minded people join together and create bonds that are unbreakable. Well, an academy doesn't have people make untreatable bonds due to it's knot being the binds of war, but still, same sentiments.
Zayn strides in the hallway towards her and Amur's room, but stops, watching as a mop of dirty blonde hair lingers in a corner near her room. Zayn peaks, turning her head to watch a short boy with dirty blonde hair and big, bright purple eyes stand near her door, and now getting a good look--the boy looks young with his docile appearance, yet his demanor seems heavy, almost powerful-.
"Are you lost, little guy?" Zayn asked, watching as the small boy flinches, turning his head to meet eyes with Zayn and-. "wait, aren't you that man from earlier? The one that brought me and Amur our first meal here? You look so much more tinier, though? Maybe you're shorter than what I remember…"
The small boy doesn't comment at first, he just shoots Zayn a wary look before Zayn bends down, offering him a smile.
"I didn't mean to offend! I'm only trying to get to my room!" Zayn said.
The boy looks away before he meets eyes with Zayn, his freckled cheeks blossoming with a small hue of red.
"Zayn, yes…?" The boy asked. Zayn happily nods, offering the man a hand.
"Yes!" Zayn said, smiling, "and who might you be? You're always around, but I never heard your name."
"It's...it's Cryelie." The boy said, taking her hand and shaking it. "You smell sweet." the boy adds.
"Oh, thank you?" Confused, Zayn sniffs her arms, but she smells like her usual--which I mean, she smells pretty good, but not sweet. "You--uh--you smell nice too!"
"You smell like her." The boy said, "and it's sweet."
Zayn nods her head, desiring to ask who this "her" may be, but she doesn't want to ask anything too personal, so she just smiles and nods her head.
"Well then, I'll be off." Zayn smiles, nodding her head, "it is nice meeting you, Cryelie."
Zayn walks past the smaller boy to open her door and skip in, not noticing the boy's glowing purple eyes, not the way he licks his fangs, entranced by the woman he just met.
...
After the group finally finished there tasked with cleaning the headquarters' bathrooms, it's almost time for the sun to set, and Chase is very adamant on not missing dinner since they already skipped lunch to finish sooner.
Amur and Chase fall into there usual bicker with Ramon joining in here and there, but Zayn is lost in thought, thinking about the boy from before, thinking about their first mission, where she killed a Vera, thinking even about Sierna, who funny enough, as she lingers in Zayn's mind, is piling a carriage with her belongings as her and Zayn lock eyes. Sierna gives Zayn one last dirty look before she hops in the carriage, slams the carriage door, and soon she pulls off to head back home.
"First I kill someone," Zayn deflates, lost in her thoughts, "and now I send someone home. My rep sheet isn't looking too good."
"To be fair, she did deserve it." It's Excalibur who responds to her thoughts. "And the Vera turned insane. What were you suppose to do?"
"Anything but kill them," Zayn said, "killing people doesn't solve anything."
"Why not just think there aren't people then?" Excalibur asked. "It'll make your job easier. Being a hero calls you to kill people. Fiends. Devils. Half's. Whatever it is you need to achieve, you'll slash down something."
Zayn stops, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before she speaks to Excalibur.
"Then I'll do it my way," Zayn said, "and that will not be it."
Speechless. Excalibur said no more after that.
…
After dinner with her friends, Chase and Ramon part ways with Amur and Zayn as they head back to their dorms. Zayn tidies the room as Amur arrives back from her shower, drying her hair and watching Zayn dust off the bed.
"How are you doing?" Amur asked, watching Zayn fluff Amur's pillow.
"Oh-well-besides sometimes a pang of depression hitting my heart here and there," Zayn blinks, rubbing the back of her helmet, "not too bad?"
"Zayn, Vera are beast. Half human or not, you saved people, and it's amendable that you did." Amur said. "You can't save everyone, but if you save what's important to you, then that's all that matters."
Zayn blinks, watching as Amur blows out the candle on their desk and hops in bed.
"Now good night." Amur said, and she soon after falls into a deep sleep.
Zayn, however, just looks at her metal hands, watching through her window as the moon raises and as the sun falls into the abyss, yet Zayn, for hours, just watch the moon stand, its small children in the form of stars twinkle in her eyes.
"Either go to bed or shut your mind off," Excalibur grumbles, "you're thoughts are all over the place."
"I heard moving often clears one's thoughts." Zayn whispers."Shall we take a walk or something?"
"Anything!" Excalibur exclaims. "Just shut up!"
Zayn sits up, being careful to sneak out her bed and out the dorm hall doors, and into the early specks of what is now morning. The sun has yet to rise, but soon it will, the darkness slowly mixing with soft patches of reds and yellows.
Zayn wanders until she stops short, eyeing the usual training spot her and Jeremiah meet every morning. The many failed dummies that lost their limbs but never their heads stare at her, mocking her incapablities.
Zayn silently stares at a in tact dummy in front of her face. Standing in front of the dummy, Zayn clenches her fist, readying her stance.