Juna can't say that she was excited to be attending a military school in Erebonia, but she could never have expected how her time there would go. She never could have anticipated falling in love, who she would fall in love with, and how the world around them would go to hell.
All is Fair in Love and War (Trails of Cold Steel)
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Chapter 1 - First Meetings
Chapter 1 - First Meetings
Juna coughs and splutters, the black smoke almost choking her as she trudges through the broken streets of Heimdallr. Fires burn all around her, and she sweats heavily as the heat bears down on her, and the acrid air sears her throat. Her legs ache and her chest burns, but she continues to push herself forward, she can't stop until she finds them some decent cover.
Musse mumbles something incoherent into her neck, and Juna shifts her grip on her thighs as she adjusts the other girl's position against her back. The green-haired girl barely reacts to the sudden movement, her hands continuing to hang limply over Juna's shoulders, and the pink-haired girl can feel the fear coiling in her stomach.
"Hey, hold on," she says, forcing the words through her throat. "We'll get you some help soon."
Unfortunately, she can hear the grinding of gears, and the pounding of metal against stone coming from somewhere close by. She curses under her breath, and she struggles to hold Musse steady as she moves quickly to the side of the road, managing to squeeze inside the ruins of a nearby house. She hastily moves further into the depths of the house, kicking aside the broken bits of furniture that threaten to trip her. Once she's satisfied they're hidden enough she lowers herself to her knees, and places Musse in a sitting position up against one of the walls.
Juna casts her gaze about the room they find themselves in, desperately looking for anything that can be of use, unfortunately she doesn't have much luck. The inside of the room is a mess, with broken pieces of furniture scattered across the floor, covered shards of broken masonry.
Cursing again, she turns back to her injured friend.
She quickly opens the front of the other girl's blazer, her fingers fumbling with the buckles. Damn it! Why'd they have to make these things so complicated?! Finally she gets it undone, and feels her stomach sink at what she sees. The white blouse beneath her soaked in blood. Juna practically rips Musse's blouse open as she unbuttons it, and her stomach clenches painfully as she sees the blood smeared over her stomach, surrounding a nasty looking wound.
The pink-haired girl grits her teeth quickly places her hand above the wound, and tries desperately to channel her remaining energy. It's a struggle, she basically running on fumes herself at this point, but eventually she can feel the familiar tingle running across the surface of her skin. The palms of her hands glow with a green light that pours forth into the other girl's body. Unfortunately, she can't be sure it's doing anything, the wound doesn't look like it's getting any smaller; although the bleeding looks like its slowing, maybe.
Another curse passes her lips. She's never been very good with healing arts, they require too much finesse, she's more of a blunt instrument.
Musse's a lot better at them than her...
Juna shakes her head, trying to cut off that line of thought before it can take her anywhere she doesn't want to go.
She can't let herself get distracted right now, Musse's depending on her. Although, even as she thinks that she can feel the panic clawing at her insides, Musse's life is in her hands and she has no idea what to do.
Desperately she reaches for her Arcus, and flips it open.
"Instructor, Kurt, can you hear me?" she says. "Can you hear me? Musse's hurt, we need help."
Unfortunately, the only response she gets is the harsh crackle of static, like something's blocking the signal.
She growls, and throws the device to the ground.
Her mind races in a desperate attempt to find a solution. With Musse like this there's now way they can go back out onto the streets, they'd never make it past all of the archaisms. However, if she doesn't find Musse some medical attention soon it won't be long before she bleeds out. She's already gone very pale, and just sits there motionless; the gentle rise and fall of her chest is the only thing indicating she's still alive.
She can feel her eyes starting to burn as she desperately forces herself not to cry.
Juna quickly takes of her own jacket and casts it aside, before removing her own blouse too. The sound of tearing fabric cuts through the air, as the pink-haired girl rips her shirt into strips. Her hands shake as she takes the cottons strips she just made, and wraps them around the other girl's stomach as tightly as she can.
Suddenly one of Musse's hands wraps itself around her wrist, but her grip is so weak that she barely feels it.
Juna looks up at Musse's face, and sees the other girl staring back at her. Her grey eyes are soft, and tired.
"You should … go," she whispers, her voice hoarse, weak.
Juna shakes her head almost violently, and the tears finally leak from her eyes to run down her cheeks, cutting a path through the grime that's accumulated on her face.
"No, not happening," she states.
She tries to keep her voice firm, but she can't stop it from trembling.
"Juna..." Musse breathes.
"No!" Juna exclaims.
She reaches forward and gently places a hand against Musse's cheek. She does her best to give a comforting smile, but even to her the expression feels frail and weak.
"I'm not going anywhere," she says. "Because I … I love you, alright? I love you. So you stay with me, because I'm going to get us out of this."
Even as she makes the promise, she wonders whether she can keep it.
Juna's footsteps echo back at her, as she wanders through the corridors of her new school trying to get a feel for the layout.
It's way too quiet, and the place is basically empty, it just feels all so lifeless. Which shouldn't come as a surprise really, considering the branch campus only has about twenty students and a handful of teachers. It's a massive change from the police academy back in Crossbell, which had been positively bustling in comparison. Something about the sound of her boots against concrete floors makes her heart beat faster, and she picks up the pace a little. Despite how new everything is it still feels really creepy, like she's walking through an abandoned haunted house, and something's about to jump out at her. It's a stupid thought, but she can't help but think of all the monsters lurking in the keep a day ago...
Of course, that's the moment a door clicks open just as she passes by, causing Juna to squeak and jump back a step.
"Oh my, that was quite a reaction."
Juna releases an involuntary sigh of relief, as she catches sight of the person on the other side of the door. It's a girl, another student, about half a head shorter than her, and with bright green hair. She thinks she remembers her from the opening ceremony yesterday, but she can't recall a name to put with the face. Then again, yesterday had been a little on the overwhelming side.
The girl steps forward, closing the door firmly behind her.
"I apologise for frightening you," she says. "I had no idea I am so intimidating."
Juna chuckles weakly, and scratches at the back of her head in embarrassment.
"Nah," she replies. "It's my fault, I got lost in my own little world."
The other girl giggles, and it's a very feminine sound.
"I see," she replies. "Although I must admit, I didn't expect anyone to still be here at this time."
"Oh," Juna replies. "I was just trying to figure out where everything is, to keep myself from getting lost later."
"Very prudent," the girl replies.
An awkward silence descends between the two of them for a moment, and Juna quickly moves to fill it. It occurs to her that she really hasn't taken the chance to talk to anybody outside her class yet. She pretty much fell into her bed after getting back from the Einhel Keep last night, and by the time she'd gotten up this morning she'd been running pretty late.
"I'm Juna Crawford, by the way," she says.
"Musse," the girl replies. "Musse Egret. Nice to meet you."
The green-haired girl smiles at her politely, and Juna returns the favour with a grin of her own.
"Anyway," Juna continues. "I was just about done here. Want to walk back together?"
"I'd be delighted," Musse replies.
By the time they get outside the sun is setting, dyeing the sky above them a deep orange. A refreshing breeze brushes against her skin as she steps out through the front doors, and she can already hear the songs of some of the nightbirds.
Pure white petals fall from the lino trees to flutter down around them as they walk the road leading from the school into town, and Juna finds herself watching them as she lazily drift to the ground. She'd never seen lino flowers before coming here, and they are really pretty, she'll (very) begrudgingly give Erebonia that much.
"So, Musse," Juna begins. "Why were you at the school so late?"
"Hm?" Musse responds. "Oh, the headmistress needed to see me. Apparently there was a problem with some of my paperwork, but fortunately we were able to get it sorted out pretty quickly."
"And the headmistress was dealing with that personally?" Juna asks.
"Well," Musse answers. "The school doesn't exactly have much of an administrative staff at the moment."
Juna hums. That's true, she was just thinking about how the school is basically being run with a skeleton crew, it kinda makes her wonder how much effort the government's actually putting into this place. Not that it does her much good to think about that, she doesn't exactly have anywhere else to go.
"I guess," she replies. "But I think I'd be too nervous for a one-on-one meeting with the headmistress, she seems kinda intimidating."
"She does have a rather imposing presence," Musse concedes. "But that doesn't necessarily mean she's a bad person."
Juna just gives another non-committal hum. That might be true, but she's heard that their headmistress is actually Erebonian nobility, and … well, she can't exactly say that she's a fan of them.
Actually, now that she thinks about it... She looks over at the girl walking next to her, suddenly noticing how she holds herself, all straight-backed and dignified. Then there's the way she speaks, it's a very precise, refined way of speaking, kinda like she'd expect from a noble girl. The pink-haired girl swallows nervously, as she suddenly feels every muscle in her body involuntarily go tense.
Musse blinks, staring at her quizzically.
"Is something the matter?" she asks.
"N – no," she answers. "Sorry, I just got distracted by something.
"I see," Musse replies, clearly sceptical.
Before Juna can think of an excuse, the two girls arrive in town. Musse raises her wrist to glance at her watch as they pass by the mayor's house, and although she probably wouldn't have noticed two minutes ago, Juna can't help but think that it looks kinda expensive. It looks like it might actually be made of silver, and has that delicate sort of design that she sometimes saw in the more upscale jewellers like Imelda Diamante Jeweller back in Crossbell. It looks exactly like the type of thing a rich lady would wear.
Musse hums to herself for a moment, before speaking.
"We still have some time before curfew," she says. "And there's this quaint little cafe I've been eager to try. Would you like to accompany me?"
Juna hesitates for a second, before slowly inclining her head. As much as she finds the whole nobility thing kinda weird, and as much as she resents Erebonia for everything, she does want to try and get along with the other students. Although, she does have to take a second to remind herself that this girl, Musse, isn't an enemy.
"Sure," she answers.
The smile Musse gives her is sweet, so sweet that it immediately makes her suspicious, but she says nothing as she follows her through town. The cafe in question turns out to be just off the main square, a little building not that far from the dormitory. When she pushes the door open she is soon hit by the sweet smell, and it immediately blows all of her previous concerns from her mind. The inside has a warm, homey sort of atmosphere, and Juna finds herself relaxing even before the door has fully closed behind them.
The woman behind the counter has a friendly, motherly look to her too.
Both girls order a plate of pancakes, and find a table in the corner of the room.
Juna can't help the little hum of satisfaction that escapes her as she takes her first bite, and the sweetness of it hits her tongue.
"This is so good!" she exclaims.
"Indeed," Musse replies. "It's so sweet, but so light at the same time. Our chef was always good with meals, but they never could seem to get the desserts quite right."
For just a second Juna pauses with her fork halfway to her mouth, as she feels herself involuntarily tense up at the reminder that the girl sitting opposite her is probably a noble. She forces herself to resume eating, but she can't help but find it a little weird. She didn't think noble girls did this kind of thing, just sit in a little bakery eating pancakes. Then again, she didn't think they went to the same schools as commoners either.
"Is something wrong?"
Juna blinks as she emerges from her thoughts.
"Sorry, what?"
"It's just," Musse elaborates. "You were staring at me rather intently."
She can feel the heat creeping into her cheeks at getting caught out, and once again that embarrassed smile works its way onto her lips.
"Oh, it's nothing," she replies. "I just got a little lost in thought. So, Musse, what class are you in?"
Oh goddess, that had to have been the world's most transparent attempt to change the subject. Thankfully, the other girl somehow seems not to notice; or else she takes pity on her, either way she goes along with it.
"Class nine," she answers. "Military finance."
"That's instructor Towa's class, right?" Juna asks. "What she like?"
Musse nods her head.
"She seems very intelligent," she answers. "Although a little soft sometimes, but it's early days yet. How about you?"
Juna blinks again.
"Me, what?" she asks.
"I believe you're in class seven, yes?" Musse asks. "What's your instructor like, the famous Ashen Chevalier?"
Juna's stomach tightens uncomfortably, and it takes a fair bit of self-control to keep herself from squirming. Honestly, that's kind of an awkward question. She's not really sure what to make of her instructor yet, he's probably a good guy all told, maybe, albeit a little weird. That said he's also one of Erebonia's heroes, so it's probably best not to say anything that could be construed as badmouthing him, especially not to a noble.
So she shrugs.
"I'm not sure," she replies. "I've only had a couple of home room sessions with him so far."
Musse sighs in a fashion that is so dramatic is has to be on purpose.
"I suppose that's fair," she says. "Although I am interested in hearing an outsiders perspective on him, and the Empire in general. I hope you don't mind if I pick your brains about it later on? In exchange I can answer any questions you might have about Erebonia."
Juna considers it for a second. It seems like a good deal, she barely knows anything about Erebonia, so having someone to fill in the blanks for her would be a big help.
"Yeah, sure," she answers. "I don't mind."
"Excellent!" Musse replies, favouring her with another sweet smile. "Now you'd best finish up, we've only got ten minutes until curfew.
Suddenly Juna realises that Musse's plate is empty, whilst she still has half her stack of pancakes left. She quickly grabs her fork and uses it to cut out a large chunk of the pancakes, before shovelling them into her mouth.
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Author's Note: So, another new story. This is actually the result of a semi-free writing exercise that I do when I'm stuck on the stories I'm supposed to be writing. Originally I was never going to publish this, but eventually it took on some actual form, and I'd written enough that I might as well put it up for people to rip apart.
Of course, starting in medias res means I might Gurren Lagann myself, but hey ho!
Juna coughs and splutters, the black smoke almost choking her as she trudges through the broken streets of Heimdallr. Fires burn all around her, and she sweats heavily as the heat bears down on her, and the acrid air sears her throat. Her legs ache and her chest burns, but she continues to push herself forward, she can't stop until she finds them some decent cover.
Musse mumbles something incoherent into her neck, and Juna shifts her grip on her thighs as she adjusts the other girl's position against her back. The green-haired girl barely reacts to the sudden movement, her hands continuing to hang limply over Juna's shoulders, and the pink-haired girl can feel the fear coiling in her stomach.
"Hey, hold on," she says, forcing the words through her throat. "We'll get you some help soon."
Unfortunately, she can hear the grinding of gears, and the pounding of metal against stone coming from somewhere close by. She curses under her breath, and she struggles to hold Musse steady as she moves quickly to the side of the road, managing to squeeze inside the ruins of a nearby house. She hastily moves further into the depths of the house, kicking aside the broken bits of furniture that threaten to trip her. Once she's satisfied they're hidden enough she lowers herself to her knees, and places Musse in a sitting position up against one of the walls.
Juna casts her gaze about the room they find themselves in, desperately looking for anything that can be of use, unfortunately she doesn't have much luck. The inside of the room is a mess, with broken pieces of furniture scattered across the floor, covered shards of broken masonry.
Cursing again, she turns back to her injured friend.
She quickly opens the front of the other girl's blazer, her fingers fumbling with the buckles. Damn it! Why'd they have to make these things so complicated?! Finally she gets it undone, and feels her stomach sink at what she sees. The white blouse beneath her soaked in blood. Juna practically rips Musse's blouse open as she unbuttons it, and her stomach clenches painfully as she sees the blood smeared over her stomach, surrounding a nasty looking wound.
The pink-haired girl grits her teeth quickly places her hand above the wound, and tries desperately to channel her remaining energy. It's a struggle, she basically running on fumes herself at this point, but eventually she can feel the familiar tingle running across the surface of her skin. The palms of her hands glow with a green light that pours forth into the other girl's body. Unfortunately, she can't be sure it's doing anything, the wound doesn't look like it's getting any smaller; although the bleeding looks like its slowing, maybe.
Another curse passes her lips. She's never been very good with healing arts, they require too much finesse, she's more of a blunt instrument.
Musse's a lot better at them than her...
Juna shakes her head, trying to cut off that line of thought before it can take her anywhere she doesn't want to go.
She can't let herself get distracted right now, Musse's depending on her. Although, even as she thinks that she can feel the panic clawing at her insides, Musse's life is in her hands and she has no idea what to do.
Desperately she reaches for her Arcus, and flips it open.
"Instructor, Kurt, can you hear me?" she says. "Can you hear me? Musse's hurt, we need help."
Unfortunately, the only response she gets is the harsh crackle of static, like something's blocking the signal.
She growls, and throws the device to the ground.
Her mind races in a desperate attempt to find a solution. With Musse like this there's now way they can go back out onto the streets, they'd never make it past all of the archaisms. However, if she doesn't find Musse some medical attention soon it won't be long before she bleeds out. She's already gone very pale, and just sits there motionless; the gentle rise and fall of her chest is the only thing indicating she's still alive.
She can feel her eyes starting to burn as she desperately forces herself not to cry.
Juna quickly takes of her own jacket and casts it aside, before removing her own blouse too. The sound of tearing fabric cuts through the air, as the pink-haired girl rips her shirt into strips. Her hands shake as she takes the cottons strips she just made, and wraps them around the other girl's stomach as tightly as she can.
Suddenly one of Musse's hands wraps itself around her wrist, but her grip is so weak that she barely feels it.
Juna looks up at Musse's face, and sees the other girl staring back at her. Her grey eyes are soft, and tired.
"You should … go," she whispers, her voice hoarse, weak.
Juna shakes her head almost violently, and the tears finally leak from her eyes to run down her cheeks, cutting a path through the grime that's accumulated on her face.
"No, not happening," she states.
She tries to keep her voice firm, but she can't stop it from trembling.
"Juna..." Musse breathes.
"No!" Juna exclaims.
She reaches forward and gently places a hand against Musse's cheek. She does her best to give a comforting smile, but even to her the expression feels frail and weak.
"I'm not going anywhere," she says. "Because I … I love you, alright? I love you. So you stay with me, because I'm going to get us out of this."
Even as she makes the promise, she wonders whether she can keep it.
- - -
Juna's footsteps echo back at her, as she wanders through the corridors of her new school trying to get a feel for the layout.
It's way too quiet, and the place is basically empty, it just feels all so lifeless. Which shouldn't come as a surprise really, considering the branch campus only has about twenty students and a handful of teachers. It's a massive change from the police academy back in Crossbell, which had been positively bustling in comparison. Something about the sound of her boots against concrete floors makes her heart beat faster, and she picks up the pace a little. Despite how new everything is it still feels really creepy, like she's walking through an abandoned haunted house, and something's about to jump out at her. It's a stupid thought, but she can't help but think of all the monsters lurking in the keep a day ago...
Of course, that's the moment a door clicks open just as she passes by, causing Juna to squeak and jump back a step.
"Oh my, that was quite a reaction."
Juna releases an involuntary sigh of relief, as she catches sight of the person on the other side of the door. It's a girl, another student, about half a head shorter than her, and with bright green hair. She thinks she remembers her from the opening ceremony yesterday, but she can't recall a name to put with the face. Then again, yesterday had been a little on the overwhelming side.
The girl steps forward, closing the door firmly behind her.
"I apologise for frightening you," she says. "I had no idea I am so intimidating."
Juna chuckles weakly, and scratches at the back of her head in embarrassment.
"Nah," she replies. "It's my fault, I got lost in my own little world."
The other girl giggles, and it's a very feminine sound.
"I see," she replies. "Although I must admit, I didn't expect anyone to still be here at this time."
"Oh," Juna replies. "I was just trying to figure out where everything is, to keep myself from getting lost later."
"Very prudent," the girl replies.
An awkward silence descends between the two of them for a moment, and Juna quickly moves to fill it. It occurs to her that she really hasn't taken the chance to talk to anybody outside her class yet. She pretty much fell into her bed after getting back from the Einhel Keep last night, and by the time she'd gotten up this morning she'd been running pretty late.
"I'm Juna Crawford, by the way," she says.
"Musse," the girl replies. "Musse Egret. Nice to meet you."
The green-haired girl smiles at her politely, and Juna returns the favour with a grin of her own.
"Anyway," Juna continues. "I was just about done here. Want to walk back together?"
"I'd be delighted," Musse replies.
By the time they get outside the sun is setting, dyeing the sky above them a deep orange. A refreshing breeze brushes against her skin as she steps out through the front doors, and she can already hear the songs of some of the nightbirds.
Pure white petals fall from the lino trees to flutter down around them as they walk the road leading from the school into town, and Juna finds herself watching them as she lazily drift to the ground. She'd never seen lino flowers before coming here, and they are really pretty, she'll (very) begrudgingly give Erebonia that much.
"So, Musse," Juna begins. "Why were you at the school so late?"
"Hm?" Musse responds. "Oh, the headmistress needed to see me. Apparently there was a problem with some of my paperwork, but fortunately we were able to get it sorted out pretty quickly."
"And the headmistress was dealing with that personally?" Juna asks.
"Well," Musse answers. "The school doesn't exactly have much of an administrative staff at the moment."
Juna hums. That's true, she was just thinking about how the school is basically being run with a skeleton crew, it kinda makes her wonder how much effort the government's actually putting into this place. Not that it does her much good to think about that, she doesn't exactly have anywhere else to go.
"I guess," she replies. "But I think I'd be too nervous for a one-on-one meeting with the headmistress, she seems kinda intimidating."
"She does have a rather imposing presence," Musse concedes. "But that doesn't necessarily mean she's a bad person."
Juna just gives another non-committal hum. That might be true, but she's heard that their headmistress is actually Erebonian nobility, and … well, she can't exactly say that she's a fan of them.
Actually, now that she thinks about it... She looks over at the girl walking next to her, suddenly noticing how she holds herself, all straight-backed and dignified. Then there's the way she speaks, it's a very precise, refined way of speaking, kinda like she'd expect from a noble girl. The pink-haired girl swallows nervously, as she suddenly feels every muscle in her body involuntarily go tense.
Musse blinks, staring at her quizzically.
"Is something the matter?" she asks.
"N – no," she answers. "Sorry, I just got distracted by something.
"I see," Musse replies, clearly sceptical.
Before Juna can think of an excuse, the two girls arrive in town. Musse raises her wrist to glance at her watch as they pass by the mayor's house, and although she probably wouldn't have noticed two minutes ago, Juna can't help but think that it looks kinda expensive. It looks like it might actually be made of silver, and has that delicate sort of design that she sometimes saw in the more upscale jewellers like Imelda Diamante Jeweller back in Crossbell. It looks exactly like the type of thing a rich lady would wear.
Musse hums to herself for a moment, before speaking.
"We still have some time before curfew," she says. "And there's this quaint little cafe I've been eager to try. Would you like to accompany me?"
Juna hesitates for a second, before slowly inclining her head. As much as she finds the whole nobility thing kinda weird, and as much as she resents Erebonia for everything, she does want to try and get along with the other students. Although, she does have to take a second to remind herself that this girl, Musse, isn't an enemy.
"Sure," she answers.
The smile Musse gives her is sweet, so sweet that it immediately makes her suspicious, but she says nothing as she follows her through town. The cafe in question turns out to be just off the main square, a little building not that far from the dormitory. When she pushes the door open she is soon hit by the sweet smell, and it immediately blows all of her previous concerns from her mind. The inside has a warm, homey sort of atmosphere, and Juna finds herself relaxing even before the door has fully closed behind them.
The woman behind the counter has a friendly, motherly look to her too.
Both girls order a plate of pancakes, and find a table in the corner of the room.
Juna can't help the little hum of satisfaction that escapes her as she takes her first bite, and the sweetness of it hits her tongue.
"This is so good!" she exclaims.
"Indeed," Musse replies. "It's so sweet, but so light at the same time. Our chef was always good with meals, but they never could seem to get the desserts quite right."
For just a second Juna pauses with her fork halfway to her mouth, as she feels herself involuntarily tense up at the reminder that the girl sitting opposite her is probably a noble. She forces herself to resume eating, but she can't help but find it a little weird. She didn't think noble girls did this kind of thing, just sit in a little bakery eating pancakes. Then again, she didn't think they went to the same schools as commoners either.
"Is something wrong?"
Juna blinks as she emerges from her thoughts.
"Sorry, what?"
"It's just," Musse elaborates. "You were staring at me rather intently."
She can feel the heat creeping into her cheeks at getting caught out, and once again that embarrassed smile works its way onto her lips.
"Oh, it's nothing," she replies. "I just got a little lost in thought. So, Musse, what class are you in?"
Oh goddess, that had to have been the world's most transparent attempt to change the subject. Thankfully, the other girl somehow seems not to notice; or else she takes pity on her, either way she goes along with it.
"Class nine," she answers. "Military finance."
"That's instructor Towa's class, right?" Juna asks. "What she like?"
Musse nods her head.
"She seems very intelligent," she answers. "Although a little soft sometimes, but it's early days yet. How about you?"
Juna blinks again.
"Me, what?" she asks.
"I believe you're in class seven, yes?" Musse asks. "What's your instructor like, the famous Ashen Chevalier?"
Juna's stomach tightens uncomfortably, and it takes a fair bit of self-control to keep herself from squirming. Honestly, that's kind of an awkward question. She's not really sure what to make of her instructor yet, he's probably a good guy all told, maybe, albeit a little weird. That said he's also one of Erebonia's heroes, so it's probably best not to say anything that could be construed as badmouthing him, especially not to a noble.
So she shrugs.
"I'm not sure," she replies. "I've only had a couple of home room sessions with him so far."
Musse sighs in a fashion that is so dramatic is has to be on purpose.
"I suppose that's fair," she says. "Although I am interested in hearing an outsiders perspective on him, and the Empire in general. I hope you don't mind if I pick your brains about it later on? In exchange I can answer any questions you might have about Erebonia."
Juna considers it for a second. It seems like a good deal, she barely knows anything about Erebonia, so having someone to fill in the blanks for her would be a big help.
"Yeah, sure," she answers. "I don't mind."
"Excellent!" Musse replies, favouring her with another sweet smile. "Now you'd best finish up, we've only got ten minutes until curfew.
Suddenly Juna realises that Musse's plate is empty, whilst she still has half her stack of pancakes left. She quickly grabs her fork and uses it to cut out a large chunk of the pancakes, before shovelling them into her mouth.
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Author's Note: So, another new story. This is actually the result of a semi-free writing exercise that I do when I'm stuck on the stories I'm supposed to be writing. Originally I was never going to publish this, but eventually it took on some actual form, and I'd written enough that I might as well put it up for people to rip apart.
Of course, starting in medias res means I might Gurren Lagann myself, but hey ho!
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Chapter 2 - Lavender
Chapter 2 – Lavender
A week into the first semester and Juna thinks that she's finally starting to get used to being at Thors … maybe.
She's definitely getting used to being at a school that has so few students, that even when all of them are out in the courtyard it makes the place look even emptier, it at least makes it easier to find some peace and quiet when she needs it than it was at the police academy. For example, right now she has the library all to herself, and so she's able to study without interruption; well, interruption from anyone else anyway.
A wistful sigh escapes her lips as she one more finds her gaze drifting away from the heavy textbook in front of her, and over towards the window.
Outside she can see the lino trees and they look so beautiful, especially when they're highlighted by the setting sun like now, but they're also a pointed reminder that she's in the heart of the Empire, and so far from home. It's little things like that that get to her, she is doing well for the most part, but every now and then she'll see little things like that that remind her of the situation she's in.
Feeling a sudden rush of annoyance at herself she quickly slaps her own face with both hands, and the stinging pain helps to drag her mind back to the task at hand.
Wallowing in self pity isn't going to do help with anything! She's here for a purpose, and she is going to see it through. Besides, she's here representing Crossbell, she can't just let the other students walk all over her. She needs to show the Erebonians what the people of Crossbell are made of!
She could pack everything up and go study in her dorm room, but she's pretty sure she'd find it even harder to concentrate there. What with everyone else around making noise, and her own personal possessions there to distract her. Concentrating on a dull textbook is difficult enough as it is, without having actual fun things around to tempt her away from it. Okay, she just needs to finish this chapter, and then she can wrap things up for the night.
Gritting her teeth in determination, the pink-haired girl refocuses her attention on the daunting walls of text...
"Hello again!"
...only to almost fall out her seat as a voice suddenly cuts through the silence of the library. The voice is very feminine, with a nice lyrical quality to it, and Juna thinks it sounds very familiar.
Somehow managing to right her chair before it tips over, Juna turns around, and sure enough she finds a familiar face looking back at her. Musse is standing right behind behind, one hand raised to her mouth in an obvious attempt to hide a smile, but Juna can see the laughter sparkling in those grey eyes. She feels a brief moment of irritation, but it quickly dissipates. Honestly, she probably had looked pretty stupid flailing around like that.
"Oh my," Musse says. "That's the second time that's happened, I'll be getting a reputation at this rate. Although, no-one else reacts to me in quite the same way you do."
"Musse," Juna replies. "What are you doing here?"
"What else," she answers.
Musse holds up a textbook of her own, and just the sight of it makes Juna shudder. Its twice as thick as the one she's reading, and even the title looks impenetrable, she doesn't even want to imagine what the contents must be like. She thinks it has something to do with the impact of orbal science on the economy, maybe, she can't really be sure.
"What about you?" Musse asks. "You looked like you were having some trouble with your own studies."
Juna can feel the blood rise in her cheeks a little, for some reason the idea of Musse thinking she has trouble with schoolwork is kinda embarrassing.
"It's nothing too hard," she responds. "It's just we had history with instructor Rean today, and I found it a bit difficult to keep up."
Musse blinks, as though in confusion.
"Really?" asks. "I find his lessons quite easy to digest myself."
Juna frowns, as she feels that familiar pull of irritation deep in her gut.
"He's good a simplifying things," she concedes. "But I don't know much about Erebonian history to begin with, so sometimes he mentions people and places and I get lost."
Now if the classes were on the history of Crossbell she likes to think she'd pass with flying colours, but they're not. As much as she hates to admit it, she guesses it's only natural that an Erebonian school would focus mainly on Erebonian history; and at this level they probably assume that the students already have a solid grasp of the basics.
"I see, that makes sense," Musse replies. "So what are you looking at right now?"
"The War of the Lions," Juna answers. "I thought something like that would at least be interesting, but you know history books..."
Musse smiles gently, and nods her head.
"Yes," she replies. "They can be rather dry"
Juna almost snorts, because that's an understatement. She doesn't understand how the author took one of the biggest, bloodiest conflicts in Erebonian history, and made about as thrilling as reading a shopping receipt.
"Would you like some help?"
Juna looks back up to see the other girl still smiling at her gently, and it takes her brain a second to register the offer.
"You sure?" she asks.
Musse nods her head firmly.
"History is actually one of my better subjects," Musse answers. "So I would be happy to offer some assistance, if you'd like."
Tutoring. She's glad Musse didn't call it that, but that's what it is.
"In exchange," Musse continues. "Perhaps you could teach me about Crossbell? Despite it being the large economic centre on the continent, I admit I am fairly ignorant of its history. Which is a poor look for a military finance student."
Juna can feel the conflict inside of her. On the one hand, given what they've done to her home she's not sure she wants any Erebonians to know more about it, much less a noble. On the other, she could talk about her home all day, and it might help if she can teach people just how great Crossbell really is? Show them that they're not just some possession that Erebonia and Calvard get to squabble over!
She smile that comes to her lips actually feels pretty natural.
"Sure," she answers. "That sounds like a great idea."
Musse claps her hands together and smiles at her sweetly, before quickly lowering herself into the seat next to her. Bizarrely, Juna finds herself momentarily transfixed by the way Musse sits down, it's just so ladylike and graceful, in a way that Juna has never really seen before. Was that part of being a noble?
"Now, what parts where you having trouble with?" Musse asks.
"Uh," Juna mumbles, quickly glancing at her notes. "Well, the book mentions that Dreichels was living in Nord when the war started, but it doesn't really say why."
Musse leans over to get a better look at the book, and Juna gets a good whiff of her perfume. Lavender perfumes are common enough, but this one smells really nice, and probably really expensive.
"Ah yes," Musse says. "That is something a lot of imperial historians like to gloss over. The truth is that Dreichels's mother was actually a commoner, so originally he had no claim to the throne. As such he was ostracised by the imperial court, and left as soon as he was capable of travelling by himself."
Juna blinks, as her mind slowly absorbs the other girl's words.
"Wait," she says. "So the most celebrated emperor in Erebonian history is the son of a commoner?"
Musse nods, an uncharacteristically solemn expression on her face.
"Yes," she answers. "As I said, many historians like to gloss over that little detail, and pretend Emperor Dreichels was a thoroughbred, so to speak. Such that I don't think there is actually any public record of his mother's name anywhere."
Juna frowns, feeling an unusual mix of sorrow and annoyance pulling at her insides.
"That's kind of sad," she says.
"Yes," Musse replies. "Still, it may be hopelessly romantic of me, but I like to think that whoever this woman was, Emperor Valius truly loved her."
Okay, Juna can't help but be highly sceptical of that. The book doesn't really mention much about the man, but from what brief description it does give, Valius didn't look to have been all that great of a person. For a start the war was basically triggered by him failing to rein in his sons, in fact, it looks like his entire court had been a powder keg just waiting to go off.
"Really?" she asks. "What makes you think that?"
Musse smiles at her playful, looking much more like her proper age than she usually does.
"Well," she replies. "Many emperors have had affairs with low-born women, but I can think of only two who took in the children of those affairs to raise as their own. I can not help but think that he must have truly valued their relationship to do something like that. Especially since the nobles of the court likely would have protested it fiercely."
Huh, that actually makes sense in a way. It would have been easy for Valius to discard the commoner woman and the young Dreichels if he didn't care anything for them, if it had been nothing more than a fling. The idea of the emperor defying the rest of the nobility so that he could raise his son himself, it does kinda make for a nice story. However, as nice as it might be to think about, they are getting a little off topic.
"Then Prince Orthrus..." Juna begins.
"Executed," Musse answers, promptly. "After everything he'd done, there really couldn't be any other outcome."
Musse voices sounds solemn again as she speaks, and Juna finds that her chest suddenly feels heavy. According to just about everything she'd read, and in direct contrast to his hlaf-brother Dreichels, Emperor Orthrus had been one of the cruellest rulers rulers Erebonia had ever had. Displaying more viciousness in his short rule, than any other emperor had over decades. The War of the Lions had stated in the first place because Orthrus had had is eldest brother assassinated, and apparently the illness that had killed Emperor Orthrus had been considered suspicious in hindsight.
"But it says Dreichels spared Orthrus's son," Juna continues.
Musse nods.
"Yes," she replies. "And the boy would go on to become the first Duke Cayenne."
Juna's brow furrows, something about that name seems familiar.
"Cayenne?" she echoes. "I swear I've heard that name somewhere recently."
"The Cayenne family rule over the province of Lamarre," Musse explains. "He was the one who instigated the recent civil war. Apparently he wanted to avenge the memory of Prince Orthrus."
Juna blinks, struggling to wrap her head around a motive like that. She can't imagine wanting to avenge someone who had died two-hundred-and-fifty years ago, especially not someone has vile as the prince had been. Not to mention Dreichels had granted his nephew new lands and titles, it's not like he left the family destitute.
"Why?" she asks.
Musse just shrugs.
"Who can say," she answers. "Perhaps such villainy simply runs in their blood. The Empire might have been better off if Dreichels had simply ended that line when he had the chance."
Juna frowns, and it's on the tip of her tongue to say just how cruel doing something like that would be, but her indignation melts away when she sees Musse's face. The green-haired girl isn't staring at her but through her, her eyes unfocused like she's lost in her own thoughts. Her grey eyes look oddly sad, as though what she's seeing isn't very nice.
She'll admit she doesn't know Musse very well, they've only been here about a week after all, but she's always seemed bright and cheery whenever Juna caught sight of her. She isn't at all sure how to feel about a melancholic Musse.
"I dunno," she says. "I don't think it would have been fair to punish the boy for something his father had done. I'm not really into the idea of punishing the whole family for the actions of one man."
For a moment Musse remains silent, and Juna wonders whether she even heard her.
"Perhaps you're right," she says, eventually.
The smile returns to the green-haired girl's face, and it's the same cheery expression she usually wears. However, right now Juna can't help but think that it looks kinda fake, like the other girl is simply trying to cover up what she's really feeling. For a second she considers pressing her on it, but quickly dismisses the idea. She doesn't know Musse well enough yet, she has no idea how she'll react to her asking.
So instead she throws her arms out wide, and moans in satisfactions as she feels her muscles stratch and her bones pop.
"Well," she says. "I think that's enough studying for today.!"
Musse lifts an eyebrow.
"Are you sure?" she asks. "We've barely started."
"Yeah, but I'd been sitting here for at least two hours before you showed up," Juna replies. "I really need to stretch my legs, and get my blood pumping a little. Want to join me for a little combat training."
A second green eyebrow rises to join the first, but with that smile on her face Musse looks more amused that surprised.
"Combat training?"
"Yeah," Juna responds. "I've been looking for a training partner. Although, maybe you need me to teach you how to throw a punch first?"
She's relieved to see that the mischievous glint is back in Musse's eyes now, it definitely suits more than the melancholy she'd been wearing a moment ago.
"What makes you think I don't know how to throw a punch?" Musse asks.
"No offence, Musse," Juna replies. "But you look like a strong wind would carry you away."
If it's possible, Musse's smile grows even wider.
"In that case I would be indebted for your assistance," she replies. "Just allow me to check this book out and I would be glad to join you."
Juna nods, and starts picking up her stuff.
A couple of minutes later the two girls are walking down the stairs of the clubhouse, heading for the bottom floor. Honestly, Juna had almost forgotten that the bottom level of the clubhouse even existed, it probably doesn't help that it doesn't connect directly to the main school building. Although, she can imagine the fact that it does connect directly to the cafeteria will proved useful once they do start using it properly.
As they step into the training room she can tell it's barely been used, in fact she can practically smell the freshness. All the equipment in here looks way too clean and shiny, like it's all freshly manufactured … which it probably is, now that she thinks about it. Man, she almost feels a little guilty for using it like this.
"I think we should limit ourselves to hand-to-hand combat for now,."
Juna turns around, and sees Musse standing by the now closed door.
"What?" she asks.
"I don't think it would be a great idea to spar with weapons just yet," Musse answers. "So I thought that we should restrain ourselves to hand-to-hand."
"Um, sure," Juna replies. "Sounds like a good idea."
It honestly does. She's had plenty of weapons of practice in the past, and she knows going at it like that without an instructor present is probably a recipe for disaster.
Although, even as she thinks that she starts to have her doubts about it. She can't help but realise that Musse is noticeably shorter than her, not to mention that she looks kinda thin and delicate, like a porcelain doll. Like she'd straight-up shatter into a thousand piece if Juna were to hit her too hard. Actually, is this even alright? She's not going to get in trouble for "laying her hands on the daughter of a noble house" or something, is she?
However, she doesn't say anything as the green-haired girl moves to stand in the centre of the mat.
She's soon forgets about her initial impression of Musse's stature, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that she is forced to recontextualize it. The other girl might be small and slight, but she's fast, and trying to hit her is like trying to swat a fly. So what follow is twenty minutes of Juna chasing Musse around the room, desperately trying to land a hit as the other girl always seems to dance just out of reach. By the end of it Juna is bent over with her hands pressed against her knees, and panting heavily as she feels the sweat trickling down the back of her neck; meanwhile her opponent barely looks winded.
"Oh, is that all you have?" Musse asks. "When I heard you attended the Crossbell Police Academy I assumed you'd have more stamina than that."
Juna glares up at her but Musse just continues to smile back, the look on her face so innocent it almost seem mocking. For a second she's genuinely angry, but she quickly forces it back down. She's overreacting, it's just a bit of friendly ribbing, Aidios knows she got enough of that from her partners at the police academy.
Besides, it's her own fault she ended up like this anyway, she underestimated her opponent. Now that she takes a second to breathe she can see exactly where she went wrong. She allowed her frustration to get the best of her and ended up charging blindly around the room like an angry bull, and as a result she allowed Musse to control the flow of the fight. It's a flaw her instructors repeatedly pointed out to her at the academy, and it's one she's never really gotten a handle on.
She needs to calm down and think things through. Musse isn't actually much faster than her, in reality it's because she's allowing the other girl to lead her around. She's still smaller and lighter and than she is, so if she can just get a hand on her she should be able to end this pretty quickly; but to do that she's going to have to find a way to change up the tempo of the fight.
The pink-haired girl takes a deep breath, and straightens herself up.
"Oh?" Musse asks. "Ready to go another round."
"I'm kinda stubborn," she replies.
"So I see," Musse responds.
The green-haired girl giggles, but it's a light, airy sound, and Juna thinks it clearly communicates her good nature.
Their game of cat and mouse begins again, only this time Juna isn't blindly chasing her opponent around the room. At first they fall back into the pattern of Musse slipping just out of reach every time Juna gets close, but she has a plan. Juna watches the smaller girl carefully, trying to read her movements carefully so she can predict where she's going to go and cut her off. She never manages to catch her, but she does force her to quickly change course a couple of times.
Finally, after another five minutes of the two of them dancing around the training room, she has Musse with her back against the wall.
Juna allows herself a chuckle, trying to make it as threatening as possible for effect.
"Nowhere left to run, Musse," she says.
Musse smiles and places a hand on her chest, almost looking the part of the damsel in distress.
"Indeed, it seems I've been cornered by quite a dastardly villain," she replies. "Whatever will I do?"
Juna waits, the anticipation building in the pit of her stomach, pulling her taut like a piano wire. This is the decisive moment, there's only two ways she can go, which will it be? Left or right?
She takes a step forward and Musse darts to the left, Juna quickly follows and feels a rush of victory as her hand clamps down on the other girl's shoulder.
"Aha! Got ya!" she exclaims.
She moves to end this in a single decisive strike, using her superior height to lift the other girl off the floor.
Except then she feels something strike her calf, and her eyes go wide as she realise that Musse has tangled their legs together. Unfortunately, it's far too late for her too stop her momentum, and she feels a brief moment of vertigo as her vision spins. She grunts as she comes to a sudden stop, her hands and knees heavily impacting the mat, and sending a jolt right up through her bones. When she opens her eyes again she sees Musse lying beneath her, a sly little grin on her face.
She can smell the other girl's lavender perfume again, and she swallows thickly, suddenly feeling a little strange. Actually, she starting to feel a little warm, and the air in the room feels all close and heavy all of a sudden. Well, she has been running around for about thirty minutes, so it's only natural that she built up a sweat, but that doesn't explain the weird tightness she feels in her stomach.
"Well, it appears you've caught me," Musse says. "Now what do you plan to do with me?"
The tone of her voice is strange to Juna's ears, and for some reason it sends a shiver down her spine.
For just a moment the pink-haired girl remains frozen in place, staring down at her training partner. Then with a yelp she leaps to her feet, backing away as if she had been stung.
Despite herself, Juna can't take her eyes away from Musse as the other girl rises to her feet. Once again she notes how incredibly graceful her movements are, almost like a cat, she must have had some kind of training to move like that.
"Is something the matter?" Musse asks.
Juna shakes her head almost violently.
"No," she replies. "I just struck my knee funny when I landed."
Musse giggles, and the sound of it rings in Juna's ears.
"I see," she replies. "Well, perhaps it is best we end it here anyway. They'll be locking-up soon, and I don't fancy being locked in the school all night.
"Yeah," Juna responds. "Good idea."
The pink-haired girl coughs into her fist in an attempt to compose herself, the strange feeling inside her quickly dissipating. Okay, that had been weird, but it looked like things were back to normal now.
"Would you like to stop by that little bakery again on the way back to the dorm?" Musse asks.
Juna opens her mouth to decline, but then her stomach growls, making the decision for her. She blushes as she hears Musse giggle.
"Yeah," she answers. "Sounds like a plan."
A week into the first semester and Juna thinks that she's finally starting to get used to being at Thors … maybe.
She's definitely getting used to being at a school that has so few students, that even when all of them are out in the courtyard it makes the place look even emptier, it at least makes it easier to find some peace and quiet when she needs it than it was at the police academy. For example, right now she has the library all to herself, and so she's able to study without interruption; well, interruption from anyone else anyway.
A wistful sigh escapes her lips as she one more finds her gaze drifting away from the heavy textbook in front of her, and over towards the window.
Outside she can see the lino trees and they look so beautiful, especially when they're highlighted by the setting sun like now, but they're also a pointed reminder that she's in the heart of the Empire, and so far from home. It's little things like that that get to her, she is doing well for the most part, but every now and then she'll see little things like that that remind her of the situation she's in.
Feeling a sudden rush of annoyance at herself she quickly slaps her own face with both hands, and the stinging pain helps to drag her mind back to the task at hand.
Wallowing in self pity isn't going to do help with anything! She's here for a purpose, and she is going to see it through. Besides, she's here representing Crossbell, she can't just let the other students walk all over her. She needs to show the Erebonians what the people of Crossbell are made of!
She could pack everything up and go study in her dorm room, but she's pretty sure she'd find it even harder to concentrate there. What with everyone else around making noise, and her own personal possessions there to distract her. Concentrating on a dull textbook is difficult enough as it is, without having actual fun things around to tempt her away from it. Okay, she just needs to finish this chapter, and then she can wrap things up for the night.
Gritting her teeth in determination, the pink-haired girl refocuses her attention on the daunting walls of text...
"Hello again!"
...only to almost fall out her seat as a voice suddenly cuts through the silence of the library. The voice is very feminine, with a nice lyrical quality to it, and Juna thinks it sounds very familiar.
Somehow managing to right her chair before it tips over, Juna turns around, and sure enough she finds a familiar face looking back at her. Musse is standing right behind behind, one hand raised to her mouth in an obvious attempt to hide a smile, but Juna can see the laughter sparkling in those grey eyes. She feels a brief moment of irritation, but it quickly dissipates. Honestly, she probably had looked pretty stupid flailing around like that.
"Oh my," Musse says. "That's the second time that's happened, I'll be getting a reputation at this rate. Although, no-one else reacts to me in quite the same way you do."
"Musse," Juna replies. "What are you doing here?"
"What else," she answers.
Musse holds up a textbook of her own, and just the sight of it makes Juna shudder. Its twice as thick as the one she's reading, and even the title looks impenetrable, she doesn't even want to imagine what the contents must be like. She thinks it has something to do with the impact of orbal science on the economy, maybe, she can't really be sure.
"What about you?" Musse asks. "You looked like you were having some trouble with your own studies."
Juna can feel the blood rise in her cheeks a little, for some reason the idea of Musse thinking she has trouble with schoolwork is kinda embarrassing.
"It's nothing too hard," she responds. "It's just we had history with instructor Rean today, and I found it a bit difficult to keep up."
Musse blinks, as though in confusion.
"Really?" asks. "I find his lessons quite easy to digest myself."
Juna frowns, as she feels that familiar pull of irritation deep in her gut.
"He's good a simplifying things," she concedes. "But I don't know much about Erebonian history to begin with, so sometimes he mentions people and places and I get lost."
Now if the classes were on the history of Crossbell she likes to think she'd pass with flying colours, but they're not. As much as she hates to admit it, she guesses it's only natural that an Erebonian school would focus mainly on Erebonian history; and at this level they probably assume that the students already have a solid grasp of the basics.
"I see, that makes sense," Musse replies. "So what are you looking at right now?"
"The War of the Lions," Juna answers. "I thought something like that would at least be interesting, but you know history books..."
Musse smiles gently, and nods her head.
"Yes," she replies. "They can be rather dry"
Juna almost snorts, because that's an understatement. She doesn't understand how the author took one of the biggest, bloodiest conflicts in Erebonian history, and made about as thrilling as reading a shopping receipt.
"Would you like some help?"
Juna looks back up to see the other girl still smiling at her gently, and it takes her brain a second to register the offer.
"You sure?" she asks.
Musse nods her head firmly.
"History is actually one of my better subjects," Musse answers. "So I would be happy to offer some assistance, if you'd like."
Tutoring. She's glad Musse didn't call it that, but that's what it is.
"In exchange," Musse continues. "Perhaps you could teach me about Crossbell? Despite it being the large economic centre on the continent, I admit I am fairly ignorant of its history. Which is a poor look for a military finance student."
Juna can feel the conflict inside of her. On the one hand, given what they've done to her home she's not sure she wants any Erebonians to know more about it, much less a noble. On the other, she could talk about her home all day, and it might help if she can teach people just how great Crossbell really is? Show them that they're not just some possession that Erebonia and Calvard get to squabble over!
She smile that comes to her lips actually feels pretty natural.
"Sure," she answers. "That sounds like a great idea."
Musse claps her hands together and smiles at her sweetly, before quickly lowering herself into the seat next to her. Bizarrely, Juna finds herself momentarily transfixed by the way Musse sits down, it's just so ladylike and graceful, in a way that Juna has never really seen before. Was that part of being a noble?
"Now, what parts where you having trouble with?" Musse asks.
"Uh," Juna mumbles, quickly glancing at her notes. "Well, the book mentions that Dreichels was living in Nord when the war started, but it doesn't really say why."
Musse leans over to get a better look at the book, and Juna gets a good whiff of her perfume. Lavender perfumes are common enough, but this one smells really nice, and probably really expensive.
"Ah yes," Musse says. "That is something a lot of imperial historians like to gloss over. The truth is that Dreichels's mother was actually a commoner, so originally he had no claim to the throne. As such he was ostracised by the imperial court, and left as soon as he was capable of travelling by himself."
Juna blinks, as her mind slowly absorbs the other girl's words.
"Wait," she says. "So the most celebrated emperor in Erebonian history is the son of a commoner?"
Musse nods, an uncharacteristically solemn expression on her face.
"Yes," she answers. "As I said, many historians like to gloss over that little detail, and pretend Emperor Dreichels was a thoroughbred, so to speak. Such that I don't think there is actually any public record of his mother's name anywhere."
Juna frowns, feeling an unusual mix of sorrow and annoyance pulling at her insides.
"That's kind of sad," she says.
"Yes," Musse replies. "Still, it may be hopelessly romantic of me, but I like to think that whoever this woman was, Emperor Valius truly loved her."
Okay, Juna can't help but be highly sceptical of that. The book doesn't really mention much about the man, but from what brief description it does give, Valius didn't look to have been all that great of a person. For a start the war was basically triggered by him failing to rein in his sons, in fact, it looks like his entire court had been a powder keg just waiting to go off.
"Really?" she asks. "What makes you think that?"
Musse smiles at her playful, looking much more like her proper age than she usually does.
"Well," she replies. "Many emperors have had affairs with low-born women, but I can think of only two who took in the children of those affairs to raise as their own. I can not help but think that he must have truly valued their relationship to do something like that. Especially since the nobles of the court likely would have protested it fiercely."
Huh, that actually makes sense in a way. It would have been easy for Valius to discard the commoner woman and the young Dreichels if he didn't care anything for them, if it had been nothing more than a fling. The idea of the emperor defying the rest of the nobility so that he could raise his son himself, it does kinda make for a nice story. However, as nice as it might be to think about, they are getting a little off topic.
"Then Prince Orthrus..." Juna begins.
"Executed," Musse answers, promptly. "After everything he'd done, there really couldn't be any other outcome."
Musse voices sounds solemn again as she speaks, and Juna finds that her chest suddenly feels heavy. According to just about everything she'd read, and in direct contrast to his hlaf-brother Dreichels, Emperor Orthrus had been one of the cruellest rulers rulers Erebonia had ever had. Displaying more viciousness in his short rule, than any other emperor had over decades. The War of the Lions had stated in the first place because Orthrus had had is eldest brother assassinated, and apparently the illness that had killed Emperor Orthrus had been considered suspicious in hindsight.
"But it says Dreichels spared Orthrus's son," Juna continues.
Musse nods.
"Yes," she replies. "And the boy would go on to become the first Duke Cayenne."
Juna's brow furrows, something about that name seems familiar.
"Cayenne?" she echoes. "I swear I've heard that name somewhere recently."
"The Cayenne family rule over the province of Lamarre," Musse explains. "He was the one who instigated the recent civil war. Apparently he wanted to avenge the memory of Prince Orthrus."
Juna blinks, struggling to wrap her head around a motive like that. She can't imagine wanting to avenge someone who had died two-hundred-and-fifty years ago, especially not someone has vile as the prince had been. Not to mention Dreichels had granted his nephew new lands and titles, it's not like he left the family destitute.
"Why?" she asks.
Musse just shrugs.
"Who can say," she answers. "Perhaps such villainy simply runs in their blood. The Empire might have been better off if Dreichels had simply ended that line when he had the chance."
Juna frowns, and it's on the tip of her tongue to say just how cruel doing something like that would be, but her indignation melts away when she sees Musse's face. The green-haired girl isn't staring at her but through her, her eyes unfocused like she's lost in her own thoughts. Her grey eyes look oddly sad, as though what she's seeing isn't very nice.
She'll admit she doesn't know Musse very well, they've only been here about a week after all, but she's always seemed bright and cheery whenever Juna caught sight of her. She isn't at all sure how to feel about a melancholic Musse.
"I dunno," she says. "I don't think it would have been fair to punish the boy for something his father had done. I'm not really into the idea of punishing the whole family for the actions of one man."
For a moment Musse remains silent, and Juna wonders whether she even heard her.
"Perhaps you're right," she says, eventually.
The smile returns to the green-haired girl's face, and it's the same cheery expression she usually wears. However, right now Juna can't help but think that it looks kinda fake, like the other girl is simply trying to cover up what she's really feeling. For a second she considers pressing her on it, but quickly dismisses the idea. She doesn't know Musse well enough yet, she has no idea how she'll react to her asking.
So instead she throws her arms out wide, and moans in satisfactions as she feels her muscles stratch and her bones pop.
"Well," she says. "I think that's enough studying for today.!"
Musse lifts an eyebrow.
"Are you sure?" she asks. "We've barely started."
"Yeah, but I'd been sitting here for at least two hours before you showed up," Juna replies. "I really need to stretch my legs, and get my blood pumping a little. Want to join me for a little combat training."
A second green eyebrow rises to join the first, but with that smile on her face Musse looks more amused that surprised.
"Combat training?"
"Yeah," Juna responds. "I've been looking for a training partner. Although, maybe you need me to teach you how to throw a punch first?"
She's relieved to see that the mischievous glint is back in Musse's eyes now, it definitely suits more than the melancholy she'd been wearing a moment ago.
"What makes you think I don't know how to throw a punch?" Musse asks.
"No offence, Musse," Juna replies. "But you look like a strong wind would carry you away."
If it's possible, Musse's smile grows even wider.
"In that case I would be indebted for your assistance," she replies. "Just allow me to check this book out and I would be glad to join you."
Juna nods, and starts picking up her stuff.
A couple of minutes later the two girls are walking down the stairs of the clubhouse, heading for the bottom floor. Honestly, Juna had almost forgotten that the bottom level of the clubhouse even existed, it probably doesn't help that it doesn't connect directly to the main school building. Although, she can imagine the fact that it does connect directly to the cafeteria will proved useful once they do start using it properly.
As they step into the training room she can tell it's barely been used, in fact she can practically smell the freshness. All the equipment in here looks way too clean and shiny, like it's all freshly manufactured … which it probably is, now that she thinks about it. Man, she almost feels a little guilty for using it like this.
"I think we should limit ourselves to hand-to-hand combat for now,."
Juna turns around, and sees Musse standing by the now closed door.
"What?" she asks.
"I don't think it would be a great idea to spar with weapons just yet," Musse answers. "So I thought that we should restrain ourselves to hand-to-hand."
"Um, sure," Juna replies. "Sounds like a good idea."
It honestly does. She's had plenty of weapons of practice in the past, and she knows going at it like that without an instructor present is probably a recipe for disaster.
Although, even as she thinks that she starts to have her doubts about it. She can't help but realise that Musse is noticeably shorter than her, not to mention that she looks kinda thin and delicate, like a porcelain doll. Like she'd straight-up shatter into a thousand piece if Juna were to hit her too hard. Actually, is this even alright? She's not going to get in trouble for "laying her hands on the daughter of a noble house" or something, is she?
However, she doesn't say anything as the green-haired girl moves to stand in the centre of the mat.
She's soon forgets about her initial impression of Musse's stature, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that she is forced to recontextualize it. The other girl might be small and slight, but she's fast, and trying to hit her is like trying to swat a fly. So what follow is twenty minutes of Juna chasing Musse around the room, desperately trying to land a hit as the other girl always seems to dance just out of reach. By the end of it Juna is bent over with her hands pressed against her knees, and panting heavily as she feels the sweat trickling down the back of her neck; meanwhile her opponent barely looks winded.
"Oh, is that all you have?" Musse asks. "When I heard you attended the Crossbell Police Academy I assumed you'd have more stamina than that."
Juna glares up at her but Musse just continues to smile back, the look on her face so innocent it almost seem mocking. For a second she's genuinely angry, but she quickly forces it back down. She's overreacting, it's just a bit of friendly ribbing, Aidios knows she got enough of that from her partners at the police academy.
Besides, it's her own fault she ended up like this anyway, she underestimated her opponent. Now that she takes a second to breathe she can see exactly where she went wrong. She allowed her frustration to get the best of her and ended up charging blindly around the room like an angry bull, and as a result she allowed Musse to control the flow of the fight. It's a flaw her instructors repeatedly pointed out to her at the academy, and it's one she's never really gotten a handle on.
She needs to calm down and think things through. Musse isn't actually much faster than her, in reality it's because she's allowing the other girl to lead her around. She's still smaller and lighter and than she is, so if she can just get a hand on her she should be able to end this pretty quickly; but to do that she's going to have to find a way to change up the tempo of the fight.
The pink-haired girl takes a deep breath, and straightens herself up.
"Oh?" Musse asks. "Ready to go another round."
"I'm kinda stubborn," she replies.
"So I see," Musse responds.
The green-haired girl giggles, but it's a light, airy sound, and Juna thinks it clearly communicates her good nature.
Their game of cat and mouse begins again, only this time Juna isn't blindly chasing her opponent around the room. At first they fall back into the pattern of Musse slipping just out of reach every time Juna gets close, but she has a plan. Juna watches the smaller girl carefully, trying to read her movements carefully so she can predict where she's going to go and cut her off. She never manages to catch her, but she does force her to quickly change course a couple of times.
Finally, after another five minutes of the two of them dancing around the training room, she has Musse with her back against the wall.
Juna allows herself a chuckle, trying to make it as threatening as possible for effect.
"Nowhere left to run, Musse," she says.
Musse smiles and places a hand on her chest, almost looking the part of the damsel in distress.
"Indeed, it seems I've been cornered by quite a dastardly villain," she replies. "Whatever will I do?"
Juna waits, the anticipation building in the pit of her stomach, pulling her taut like a piano wire. This is the decisive moment, there's only two ways she can go, which will it be? Left or right?
She takes a step forward and Musse darts to the left, Juna quickly follows and feels a rush of victory as her hand clamps down on the other girl's shoulder.
"Aha! Got ya!" she exclaims.
She moves to end this in a single decisive strike, using her superior height to lift the other girl off the floor.
Except then she feels something strike her calf, and her eyes go wide as she realise that Musse has tangled their legs together. Unfortunately, it's far too late for her too stop her momentum, and she feels a brief moment of vertigo as her vision spins. She grunts as she comes to a sudden stop, her hands and knees heavily impacting the mat, and sending a jolt right up through her bones. When she opens her eyes again she sees Musse lying beneath her, a sly little grin on her face.
She can smell the other girl's lavender perfume again, and she swallows thickly, suddenly feeling a little strange. Actually, she starting to feel a little warm, and the air in the room feels all close and heavy all of a sudden. Well, she has been running around for about thirty minutes, so it's only natural that she built up a sweat, but that doesn't explain the weird tightness she feels in her stomach.
"Well, it appears you've caught me," Musse says. "Now what do you plan to do with me?"
The tone of her voice is strange to Juna's ears, and for some reason it sends a shiver down her spine.
For just a moment the pink-haired girl remains frozen in place, staring down at her training partner. Then with a yelp she leaps to her feet, backing away as if she had been stung.
Despite herself, Juna can't take her eyes away from Musse as the other girl rises to her feet. Once again she notes how incredibly graceful her movements are, almost like a cat, she must have had some kind of training to move like that.
"Is something the matter?" Musse asks.
Juna shakes her head almost violently.
"No," she replies. "I just struck my knee funny when I landed."
Musse giggles, and the sound of it rings in Juna's ears.
"I see," she replies. "Well, perhaps it is best we end it here anyway. They'll be locking-up soon, and I don't fancy being locked in the school all night.
"Yeah," Juna responds. "Good idea."
The pink-haired girl coughs into her fist in an attempt to compose herself, the strange feeling inside her quickly dissipating. Okay, that had been weird, but it looked like things were back to normal now.
"Would you like to stop by that little bakery again on the way back to the dorm?" Musse asks.
Juna opens her mouth to decline, but then her stomach growls, making the decision for her. She blushes as she hears Musse giggle.
"Yeah," she answers. "Sounds like a plan."
Chapter 3 - Trouble in the South
Chapter 3 - Trouble in the South
This feels wrong.
Juna's skin crawls as she settles back into her seat, and looks around at her surroundings. She's sitting inside a Panzer Soldat, one of the machines the Erebonian Empire used to subjugate Crossbell. Her stomach roils as she hesitantly reaches out and grasps hold of the controls, feeling the smooth leather beneath her fingers. She can't shake the heavy weight in her chest, or the way it feels like she's a traitor just for being inside this pile of wires and bolts.
"Juna, you ready?"
She raises her head, but the screen in front of her is still dark. Most of the systems are still switched off, the radio is just about the only thing working at the moment.
"You remember how to turn that thing on?"
Even though he can't see it, she nods her head in affirmation. Yeah, she remembers the start-up procedures from the manual they'd made them all read, it's fairly simple.
She takes a deep breath to steady her nerves, and suppress the sickly feeling building in the pit of her stomach. Then with a shaky hand she reaches out towards the console, and begins flicking switches. It's pretty straightforward to be honest, she just needs to remember the right switches in the right order. Then again she's always had a knack for things like this, back in the police academy she was the first in her class to get the hang of driving a patrol car.
There's a slight whirr as the systems start up, and she can feel the vibration resonate in her bones. The monitor in front of her flickers to life, and she can see the courtyard and hear the voices of her classmates.
Opposite her stands another Soldat, one of the larger ones, she thinks it was called a Hector? Well whatever. Randy's the one piloting it, and whilst she won't say it out loud, she's glad he's the one teaching her. She already feels bad enough using one of the Empire's war machines, she doesn't want to imagine how much worse it would be if it was the Ashen Chevalier guiding her through how to use it.
Besides, seeing Randy piloting one of these things helps her feel like maybe she isn't such a traitor after all.
"Oh, there you are," Randy says. "Was starting to think you'd already forgotten everything we'd taught you this morning."
Juna snorts.
"As if," she replies. "I was just double and triple checking everything to make sure I got it right. This is my first time in one of these things, you know?"
Somehow she manages to keep her tone casual, despite everything she feels. She swallows as she adjusts her grip on the controls, and does her best to stave off the negative thoughts. She just has to concentrate on getting through this, not just the lesson, but all the way through to graduation. Then she can go back home and join the police force like she'd originally intended. If she just keeps her eyes on her end goal, then she'll be able to tough it out no problem.
"How unexpectedly diligent," Randy responds.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Juna asks, narrowing her eyes.
"Hey, it's a compliment," he answers. "So, you ready to go?"
"I'm always ready," she replies.
"Good," Randy says. "I hope you keep up that enthusiasm, but today we'll just be running through the basics. Gotta learn to walk before you can run."
Juna nods, that makes sense, it was the same thing when they taught her how to drive at the academy. They made sure that the students could drive in a straight line, before they had them weaving between cones and stuff.
It turns out that piloting these metal monsters is easier than she'd thought. Sure, it's more complicated than driving a car and requires a fair bit more dexterity and multitasking, but it doesn't take her long to figure everything out. Pretty soon she's moving her machine effortlessly around the courtyard.
"Alright, halt!"
She responds instantly to Randy's command, and brings her Soldat to a halt. Of course, given the humanoid shape of the machine, just slamming on the breaks would just cause the thing to topple over. So she has to gently apply the breaks and decelerate, gradually gliding the machine to a halt.
"Nice work Juna," Randy says. "I think that's the best performance of the day so far. Now go take five."
She can't help but smile at his words, a sense of pride swelling in her chest. It's probably the first thing she's done really well at since she got here. However, that buoyancy she feels quickly deflates when she remembers just what it is she's being praised for. She's not sure that being the best at piloting one of these is entirely a good thing.
"Jessica! Wayne! You're up!"
Juna nods, and manoeuvres the machine into a kneeling position, before switching off most of the systems and disembarking. As she leaps out of the cockpit and lands on the asphalt below, she can already see Jessica approaching. She gives her fellow tennis club member a nod and a smile as they draw close.
"That was actually pretty impressive," Jessica says.
Juna just smiles, for some reason she feels kind of embarrassed.
"Not really," she replies. "It was pretty easy."
Jessica smirks at her.
"I wouldn't say that, you definitely did better than the rest of the class so far," she says. "Including Kurt."
Jessica makes a motion with her forehead, and Juna turns around to follow her gaze. Indeed, Kurt doesn't seem to be having too great a time of it. He's got that carefully stoic expression on his face, an expression that Juna's learnt he only usually wears when he's trying to hide his irritation over something. However, her gaze lingers on him for only a moment before her attention is caught by something else.
Class Nine are gathered together outside the entrance to the hanger, and her eyes instantly lock-on to a head of familiar green hair. Musse is standing there, watching the practice session with the rest of her class, but there's something different about her. Juna can't quite put her finger on what it is, but there's just something that sets Musse apart from the crowd. The way she holds herself, maybe? She does seem to exude more confidence than the rest of Class Nine combined.
Then Musse tilts her head slightly to look straight at her, and the two of them lock gazes across the courtyard. Even with the distance she can feel those grey eyes on her, like they're staring right in to her soul. Then the smaller girl raises her hand slightly and gives her a little wave, and for some reason that causes the heat to rises lightly in Juna's cheeks.
Juna gives a wave of her own, before quickly turning away.
Yeah, she really shouldn't be staring at her friends like she's trying to judge them. The reason her eyes went to Musse is probably because she's spent more time around her than anyone else in Class Nine, even Louise.
After that session in the library a week ago, she feels like she got a glimpse into Musse's head, not much, but she got to see a little bit of the real her leaking out. And, well, it's kinda hard not feel closer to someone after that.
With that thought in mind Juna leans back against the wall of the school building, and settles in to watch the rest of the class.
Hours later, when the sun hangs low in sky turning the blue into a brilliant orange, Juna once again finds herself sitting in in Recette.
Honestly, the little bakery has probably become her most regular hangout ever since she first came here with Musse a couple of weeks ago. If Morge's back in Crossbell is a trendy, high street establishment, then this is a quaint little countryside bakery. It's a nice, cozy little place with a comfortable atmosphere, the perfect place to relax after a long day of classes and training.
And boy, does she need to relax after today.
Fortunately, it doesn't look like anyone else is here right now. Well, there are a couple of people sitting at the counter, but it's no-one she knows. Truthfully, she wouldn't be here right now either if tennis practice hadn't been cancelled, that Ash guy kind of left a mess when he challenged Instructor Rean. Honestly, she's surprised that jerk didn't even get detention after a stunt like that, the police academy wouldn't have tolerated that sort of insubordination even before the … change in management.
As always, when she starts to think of the annexation of Crossbell her mood begins to sour. It's like an ice-cold hand reaches into her chest, grips her heart, and begins to squeeze. Fortunately, she's quickly pulled out of her funk when she hears a familiar voice.
"I thought I'd find you here,"
She looks up, and smiles when she sees Musse standing right next to the table. The green-haired girl has her usual gentle smile on her face as she looks down at her, and Juna can't help but smile back.
"I expected you to," she replies. "I mean, we've been meeting up here a lot."
Musse giggles as she sits herself in the seat opposite. Juna almost laughs herself, even the way Musse lowers herself into her seats makes her seem upper class.
"Why?" Musse asks. "Is there something you needed from me?"
"Kinda," Juna replies. "I just wanted to talk about the field trip we're supposed to be going on."
Before she can say anything further, Liza approaches and places two plates down on the table, each with a slice of strawberry cake. Juna furrows her brow as she stares at the dessert sitting on the table in front of her, it looks delicious, but that's not the issue.
"Um," she says. "I don't remember ordering anything."
"Oh, that was me," Musse responds. "You were deep in thought when I came in, so I took the liberty of ordering something for you. I hope you don't mind?"
Juna quickly glances down at the dessert in front of her, before raising her head to look at Musse again. Then she shrugs, and grabs the spoon.
"Not at all," she answers. "I was gonna get something to eat before heading back anyway."
She quickly grabs her fork, slices off a piece of her cake, and lifts it to her mouth. The moment it touches her tongue she almost squeals from how good it tastes, it toes the line of being almost too sweet, without crossing over it. Not to mention how light and fluffy it is, it's almost enough to make her forget how many calories are probably in it.
"It's so good!" she declares.
"Indeed," Musse replies. "I had this last time I was here, and I couldn't wait to share it with someone."
"I can see why," Juna says.
"So, what is it you wanted to ask me?" Musse says.
Juna blinks, the deliciousness of the cake had almost driven her prior thoughts from her mind.
"Oh right," she responds. "I wanted to ask if you know anything about this Saint-Arkh place."
Musse hums.
"Why?" she asks. "Feeling nervous?"
Juna shrugs. "A little. I've only been in the Empire a few weeks, and I'm barely used to Leeves. I'd rather not go traipsing around the rest of the country with no idea where I am."
Musse nods her head, and then releases a long sigh.
"That's fair enough," she replies. "Unfortunately, the last time I was in Saint-Arkh was some time ago. I'm not sure how much I accurately remember, or how much use any of it will be."
Juna shrugs again.
"Hey," she says. "I'll take anything you can give me."
Musse smiles, the kind of smile that makes her look a little bit like a wolf, which stands at odds with her soft features. Yet, despite how dangerous her expression looks, it only serves to make her look prettier somehow. Juna would probably be jealous, is she wasn't so curious as to how the other girl manages it. She imagines that any guy who gets into a relationship with the petite noble is going to need to be on their toes.
"Very well," Musse says. "I suppose it won't hurt to refresh my own memory as well."
- - -
Juna all but collapses into her seat, and a heavy sighs bursts from her lips.
She has pretty much the entire food car to herself right now, and she's almost thankful for that. For some goddess-forsaken reason Class Eight are still up to something outside, and she thinks Class Nine are still up in the first car.
Her legs feel so sore, she doesn't think she's ever done as much walking as she has today! Seriously, they must have covered the length and breadth of the city three times over; and Saint-Arkh is a big city! She never thought she'd say it, but she's thankful for all the endurance training they put them through at the academy, otherwise she's pretty sure she wouldn't be able to move at all right now.
She's also grateful for the lesson Musse had given her, and not just because it gave her some idea of what to expected. She'll never forget the smile Instructor Claire gave her after she'd been able to accurately surmise the history of the city, or the look of surprise on Kurt's face. Although, she could have done with his comment on her study habits.
Jerk.
She groans as she throws her arms wide and feels her bones pop. She's just finished writing up her report with Allie and Kurt too, so she's exhausted both physically and mentally.
"Oh my, that was a big yawn."
Juna turns her head, a smile spreading across her lips at the sound of the familiar voice. Sure enough she finds Musse standing right next to her table, and she's not alone either. Tita is standing right beside her, the blonde engineer has a smile on her face, but there's also a faint redness to her cheeks and she twiddles her fingers nervously. Huh, come to think about it, she can't say she's ever seen Musse and Tita hanging out together outside of class before.
"Hey guys, what's up?" she asks.
Musse giggles, and the light, melodic sound sends a shiver down Juna's spine. Her laugh isn't unpleasant by any means, but Juna's come to understand that that specific laugh goes hand in hand with some kind of mischief.
"Oh, Tita was just regaling me with tales of her romantic exploits," she answers.
"Musse!" Tita protests.
Juna frowns. To be honest, she doesn't think Tita's the type to have "romantic exploits", unless...
"Wait," she says. "Is this about Agate?"
"Oh, so his name's Agate?" Musse responds, sounding delighted.
Tita's face turns so red that Juna fears she might actually burst into flame, and she can do nothing but offer the other girl an apologetic smile. She scratches sheepishly at the back of her head. Okay yeah, that was her bad, she'll put her loose lips down to be overly tired. She'll have to make it up to her somehow once they get back to the academy. Maybe a few free pancakes from Recette will smooth things over?
On the other hand, she's been trying to get Tita to open up about her relationship with that Bracer for the last week, and some good, old-fashioned girl talk sounds like just what she needs after a long day of fighting freaky monsters and weird machines.
"I've gotta admit," she says. "I've been kind of been wondering about that myself. I mean, the two of you did look awfully close when I saw the two of you together."
Musse claps her hands together excitedly, whilst Tita's face somehow grows even redder.
"Juna!" she exclaims. "Well, what about you?! You and Kurt look like you're getting on really well recently?"
Juna nearly chokes on her own breath. Her and Kurt? For just a second she tries to picture it in her head, the two of them holding hand, hugging, and … kissing. It's difficult for her to even imagine, like her mind can't quite comprehend the idea, and it kinda weirds her out.
"Nuh-uh," she answers. "Kurt's a great guy and all, but I'm not interested."
"Really?" Musse asks.
Once again, Juna feels a little chill run down her spine at the sound of Musse's voice.
"Well," she says. "What about you?"
"Hmm? Oh, I'm waiting for instructor Rean to come and sweep me off my feet," she answers. "Although he may need to be persuaded a little first."
Juna almost physically recoils from Musse's words. She tries to picture the scene in her head, of Musse clinging to instructor Rean's arm, and it makes her feel kind of uncomfortable. Her stomach tightens as she imagines it, like the scenario is wrong in some way. She thinks its probably just the idea of picturing her teacher dating, it's weird. Not to mention that he's, well, the Ashen Chevalier.
She opens her mouth to speak, but before she can another voice cuts her off. It's a woman's voice, and it cuts loud and clear through the quite night.
"Are you sure about that!?"
The voice is kinda shrill, and cuts through Juna's mind like a cold knife, almost making her shiver.
All three girls stare at each other with wide eyes, before they suddenly burst into movement. Juna scrambles to her feet, but as she does a loud roar splits the the air and the whole train shakes. The world spins and she feels a sense of vertigo as her feet slip from under her, and she flails her arms as she goes tumbling towards the ground. Then everything turns white, as a sharp pain suddenly erupts inside her skull. She doesn't even feel herself hit the ground.
There's a loud ringing in her ears, her thoughts are a scrambled mess, and it feels like her head is full of white noise. It actually takes a moment for her to even realises that she's lying down. Even when the pain in her head begins to recede, all she can see is a smear of colour in green, yellow, and blue.
She can hear the sound of voices, but they sound subdued and distorted, like hearing them through water. She can also feel something warm and soft laying on top of her.
When her vision begins to clear, she can see a face hovering over her, grey looking down at her with obvious concern. The first thing that occurs to her is that the girl is pretty, the second is that she recognises her. Although, despite the inclining of recognition, it takes her a second to grasp the name that goes with the face. She blinks rapidly as she tries to get her thoughts in order, so that she can give voice to her realisation.
"M – Musse?"
"Oh good, you're conscious," Musse responds. There's a smile on her lips, but it's strained.
Juna's never seen that look on the other girl's face before, it feels wrong.
"Is she okay?"
Another girl comes into view, and a second later Juna remembers that Tita is there with them.
"Don't move," Musse says.
"What..."
The green-haired girl gently places her hand against the side of Juna's head, and Juna can how soft and warm it is. Gradually that warmth begins to grow stronger, and it feels so soothing and nice. Pretty soon the side of her head begins to tingle lightly, and with that tingling comes a sense of clarity as her thoughts become less sluggish. With it the ringing in her ears ceases, and she can hear the sounds around her much more clearly; including the unmistakable sound of gunfire and explosions coming from outside.
Juna immediately forces herself to sit-up, barely avoiding crashing heads with Musse as the other girl quickly moves out of the way.
Musse extends her hand and Juna takes it, allowing the green-haired girl to help her to her feet. She looses her balance again for a second, her head spins and she almost falls straight on to her face again. Fortunately, Musse is there to catch her, although it's a bit awkward considering that she is a fair bit taller than the green-haired girl.
"Easy," Musse says. "You took quite a knock to the head."
Juna pushes herself away from the smaller girl, and places a hand to the side of her own head. She feels something wet under her fingertips, and they come away slick with blood. Juna feels her stomach sink at the sight of it, and tries in vain to swallow the nerves she can feel building in her chest. She turns her gaze to the table, and sees a little bit of blood splattered across the edge.
When she turns to face Musse again the other girl is giving her another smile, the kind of comforting smile nurses offer to sick patients.
"Thank you," Juna says.
Her words are simple, but it's probably one of the most sincere expressions of gratitude she's ever given. If Musse hadn't have been here … well, she doesn't even want to think about it.
"You're welcome," Musse replies. "Now if you can move, I think we should get moving."
Another explosion rends the air, causing the whole train to vibrate.
"Yeah, you're right," Juna says. "My weapon's in storage."
"As is mine," Musse responds.
"Alright, let's get going," Juna replies.
Just as she says that however, another resounding boom cuts through the air, followed by a nearby window exploding. Tita squeals, and both Musse and Juna cry out in alarm as shards of broken glass rain down around them. Juna reacts almost by instinct, tucking her head in and hoping to avoid getting hit anywhere important. Fortunately, most of the shards hitting the back of her uniform, and fail to penetrate the reinforced leather and fabric.
"Everyone okay?" she asks.
When both of the other girls reply in the affirmative, she releases a breath she didn't even realise she was holding.
"I thought the glass was supposed to be bulletproof," she comments.
"It is," Tita replies.
Juna doesn't say anything as she feels her stomach plummet, because that just makes her feel even worse about the situation.
Instead she turns her head towards Musse and nods, and the other girl nods back. With that she begins to move, creeping forward whilst remaining low, out of the line-of-sight of the windows. She can feel the shards of glass being ground to dust beneath her boots, and the sound of more crunching glass lets her now that the other two have fallen in behind her. Like that they carefully pass by the counter, crossing the thirty or so feet to the door.
Juna reaches up to grasp the handle, and carefully slides the door open.
The car beyond is one of the sleeping quarters, and fortunately it looks empty. Seeing no danger she leads the way, keeping low but hurrying her pace as she continues to make her way forward, making sure to stay out of sight of the windows. The door at the end of this car leads to the weapons car, which is where her tonfa are currently being held. Once she gets hold of them she can head outside and back-up the others. Fortunately, none of these windows break as crawl beneath them.
She feels her stomach clench as she realises that Kurt and Ally are probably out there fighting already. She has to hurry, she doesn't know what she'll do if either of them gets hurt and she wasn't there to stop it! Especially Ally!
They reach the other end without incident, and once again she reaches up to quickly slides the door open.
Immediately she can tell that something is wrong, and she quickly spots what. One of the exterior doors is standing slightly open, and she can hear the sounds of the battle raging outside much more clearly. However, she can hear another sound just below that, a kind of mechanical whirring, like something rotating at rapid speed.
"Above us!" Musse says.
Juna raises her gaze, and immediately spots the source of the whirring noise. One of those mechanical monstrosities has gotten into the train! It's rotors spinning rapidly to keep it aloft.
Just as she considers backing of an retreating the archaism turns around, swaying lightly as it rotates. Her eyes go wide as she sees the gun turrets reposition themselves to face her.
"Oh crap!"
Juna throws herself to the side a split second before the drone opens fire, and the stream of bullets strike the floor where she'd been kneeling less than a second before. A second later Musse and Tita sidle up next to her, keeping their own back firmly against the steel wall. The trio stay there, eyes trained on the door as they wait for the machine to follow them. Only for the second to tick past, and nothing to happen.
Her brow furrows. It isn't coming to attack them? Why not?
"Perhaps it's waiting for us to make the first move?" Musse says, answering her unvoiced question.
Juna nods her head, because thinking about it that makes sense. The archaisms she'd fought with the others had been capable of fighting tactically, nothing amazing, but tactics all the same. It didn't take a genius to realise that the doorway was their only way into the engineering car, and it makes a pretty good bottleneck. Even if they decide to try and move back to the previous car, it can basically see the entire corridor from where it is.
The pink-haired girl groans as she realises that it has them effectively trapped.
Okay, she just has to think. It's a stupid machine, what could they use against it? She grabs her Arcus, gripping tightly in her hand, but quickly remembers that she doesn't actually have any appropriate quartz equipped.
"I don't suppose either of you guys have any electricity quartz equipped?" she asks.
To he disappointment and frustration, both of the other girls shake their heads.
"I'm afraid mine are mostly healing quartz, with a couple of water-based arts," Musse answers.
"I, er..." Tita begins. "I left my Arcus in the engineering car."
Juna just sighs, right, of course.
Then she takes a deep breath, and tries to calm herself down. Okay, just think. What would Lloyd do? She tries to imagine it the way Randy taught her during class, think about the people she's got with her, and what they can do.
As mean as it sounds, Tita is pretty useless here. Even though she's the expert when it comes to machines she doesn't have a weapon, and she doesn't have her Arcus, so there's not much she can do to help. She doesn't necessarily need either of those things for the plan Juna can feel coming together in her head, but she'd rather not send the blonde in there completely unarmed.
Musse on the other hand, is a sharpshooter, and a pretty good one from what she's seen during their combined classes. Not to mention, she has her Arcus in case things get too hairy.
"Tita," she says. "Stay here. Musse -"
"Oh dear," Musse replies. "You're about to ask me to do something dangerous, aren't you?"
Juna grins, the tone of Musse's voice makes it clear she's trying to be funny, and not actually expressing reluctance.
"Do you know exactly where you're weapon is?" Juna asks.
"I do," Musse answers, nodding her head.
"Alright," Juna replies. "I'm gonna try to distract it. While I do I need you to go grab your rifle, and shoot it down. You in?"
Musse smiles, and nods her head again.
"I suppose I must be," she answers. "I can hardly leave you to fight it alone. What if something damages that pretty face again? And just after I healed it too."
For just a second Juna's mind gets caught-up on the complement, but she quickly pushes it away to focus on the task at hand. She can feel her heart hammering away against the inside of her chest, like it's trying to break through her ribcage. Her knuckles whiten as she grips her Arcus tighter and tighter, as she prepares one of the two offensive orbal artes she has.
"Alright then," she says. "You ready?"
Musse nods once more, and Juna leaps into action. She springs out from behind her covers, points her arm in the direction of the drone, and lets the art loose. Fire erupts from the palm of her hand, and it surges through the air towards the machine, striking it squarely in its chassis. The attack connects none to soon, as a stream of gunfire misses her by inches, its aim having been sent awry by the impact.
Juna pushes further into the room and leaps over the nearby work bench, intent on using it for cover if necessary. The smoke clears just as her feet strike the metal floor with a loud clang, and she can see that her attack didn't have much effect at all. The archaism has some new scorch marks across its surface, but the damage looks superficial at best. She ducks behind the bench just as the machine opens fire again, and the bullets ping off of the solid metal.
"Musse now!" she cries.
She hears the sound of boots pounding against the metal floor, and in her head she can picture the other girl racing through the doorway. At the same time the stream of gunfire stops, and she peeks her head over the top of the workbench. When she does she sees the drone pivoting itself in mid-air, repositioning itself to fire at Musse. Feeling a sudden surge of desperation Juna snatches one of the tools off the top of the bench, and hurls it at the machine. It strikes the drone with a loud clang, before hitting the floor with an equally loud bang.
That definitely catches its attention, as it spins back around to refocus on her. Juna ducks back behind the bench, only a moment before it opens fire on her again. She grips her Arcus to her chest, wondering if she should prepare another art just in case. Not that it will do much good, but it would be better than nothing, right?
In that moment another shot rings out, but this one is different from the rattle of machine gun fire. This one sounds more like a whistle and a rush of wind, and a blue light illuminates the inside of the car for a split-second. Then there comes a loud bang, as the shot presumably hits its target.
Juna peeks over the bench again, and spots Musse at the far end of the car. The green-haired girl is down on one knee, the stock of her rifle pressed against her shoulder, her head tilted and one eye closed so that she can aim along the sights. Her usual smile is missing, instead her lips are set in a thin line of determination, and it's an odd look on her face.
Black smoke drifts upwards from the archaism as it tries to reposition itself, attempting to focus on the greater threat. However, it moves erratically, swaying wildly from side to side as it turns itself around, and she quickly spots why. One of the engines has clearly been damage, the rotor blown clean off.
Musse fires again before it can finish turning, and the shot strikes the other engine, sending the machine spiralling downward. Then she fires a third time, striking the drone before it even hits the floor, and sending it flying across the room. Until it hits the wall with a thud, and then clatters to the ground below. Smoke billows from the wreckage as the sound of it's engines slowly whirr to a stop, and it's power source fails it.
Juna sighs in relief as she rises to her feet, and steps out from behind the workbench.
"Musse, you okay?" she asks.
The green-haired girl slowly lowers her weapon, and pushes herself into a standing position.
"I'm fine," she says. "What about you? You were the one getting shot at."
Juna scratches the back of her head, her stomach clenching as she realises just how close she'd come to getting riddled full of holes.
"Well, it was closer than I would have liked," she answers. "But I don't have a scratch on me."
However, before any more can be said the sound of screaming cuts through the air, and both girls turn towards the door. Immediately Juna begins moving towards the weapon storage.
There's no time for talking now.
About an hour later finds Juna sitting back in the seat she'd all but fallen out of earlier, trying not to blink as Instructor Towa shines a torch in her eyes. She tries to keep her gaze fixed forward as the smaller woman moves the around, it's honestly harder than she thought it would be to not follow the light around.
As such she can't see Altina standing beside her, but she can feel her. Kurt is sitting at nearby table, with Randy giving him a once over to make sure he's okay. Surprisingly, the blue-haired boy seems to the most exhausted out of all of them. Except for Sidney, whose slumped over a nearby table and barely conscious.
Most of the other students are also in the food car, each in various states of injury. The instructors and the members of the original Class Seven are moving up and down the aisle, offering aid where it's needed. She can see Jessica sitting in the seat right by the door, Laura kneeling down in front of her to examine her legs. Juna almost winces. The heir to house Schleiden had taken a pretty severe blow to her right leg earlier, and she can still hear the sound of her scream in her head. She really hopes it isn't anything too bad.
Although, despite her best attempts to hide it, she can tell that Altina is on her last legs too.
Instructor Towa hums.
"Do you feel any pain? Any headaches or anything?" she asks.
"Not really," Juna replies. "I'm mostly just exhausted. I keep telling you I'm fine."
"Juna," Altina cuts in. "Head injuries should always be treated with the utmost seriousness."
"Altina's right," Instructor Towa says. "Orbments are good for field medicine, but they're no substitute for real medicine. And head injuries can be unpredictable. Honestly, I'm tempted to keep you observation for a day just to make sure. But without obvious symptoms I don't think major Michael will approve."
She never thought she'd find herself feeling thankful for how much of a hardass Instructor Michael can be, but she guesses there's a first time for everything.
Instructor Towa finally turns off the light, and Juna blinks rapidly as the colours continue to dance in front of her eyes.
"Still," she continues. "If you feel like anything's off at all, make sure to let one of us instructors know."
Juna nods her head.
"I will," she answers.
Pushing herself to her feet takes a lot more effort than it should have, and her muscles protests the movement. If she thought she was exhausted before, it's nothing compared to now. Honestly, she could lay down on the floor and sleep right here. Now that she doesn't have the adrenaline pushing her forward her whole body feels like it's made of lead, and she her legs feel like they could give out at any moment.
It doesn't take long for her to get back in bed.
Despite how tired she is she finds herself unable to fall asleep straight away. Instead she stares up at the underside of the bunk above her, the events of the last couple of hours running through her head. She remembers the moment she lost her balance, and cracked her head against the table on the way down. She shivers as she remembers the pain that exploded inside her head, like her skull had just been split open.
She shivers again, remembering the feeling of her own rapidly cooling blood against her fingers.
Yeah, if Musse hadn't have been there she'd have been in real trouble.
Not to mention she probably wouldn't have been able to beat that archaism without her help. In her head she can still see the green-haired girl down on one knee, her rifle braced against her shoulder as she fills the machine full of holes. It's like she saw another side of the other girl today, a cooler, more dynamic side, as opposed to the cuter front she usually puts up. Not that Musse isn't cute, because she most definitely is.
As her mind falls into the comfortable oblivion of sleep, she remembers the sight of Musse's face as she leaned over her. The way her grey eyes shone with concern, and elegant features contorted with worry. Her soft-looking lips moving as she asked if asks if she's okay, her gentle touch as she heals her wounds. Although, what she hears is the other girl's comment about her having a pretty face.
Yeah, definitely cute.
Author's Note: Chapter 3 at long last, sorry for the wait. As always commentary and criticism is appreciated.
This feels wrong.
Juna's skin crawls as she settles back into her seat, and looks around at her surroundings. She's sitting inside a Panzer Soldat, one of the machines the Erebonian Empire used to subjugate Crossbell. Her stomach roils as she hesitantly reaches out and grasps hold of the controls, feeling the smooth leather beneath her fingers. She can't shake the heavy weight in her chest, or the way it feels like she's a traitor just for being inside this pile of wires and bolts.
"Juna, you ready?"
She raises her head, but the screen in front of her is still dark. Most of the systems are still switched off, the radio is just about the only thing working at the moment.
"You remember how to turn that thing on?"
Even though he can't see it, she nods her head in affirmation. Yeah, she remembers the start-up procedures from the manual they'd made them all read, it's fairly simple.
She takes a deep breath to steady her nerves, and suppress the sickly feeling building in the pit of her stomach. Then with a shaky hand she reaches out towards the console, and begins flicking switches. It's pretty straightforward to be honest, she just needs to remember the right switches in the right order. Then again she's always had a knack for things like this, back in the police academy she was the first in her class to get the hang of driving a patrol car.
There's a slight whirr as the systems start up, and she can feel the vibration resonate in her bones. The monitor in front of her flickers to life, and she can see the courtyard and hear the voices of her classmates.
Opposite her stands another Soldat, one of the larger ones, she thinks it was called a Hector? Well whatever. Randy's the one piloting it, and whilst she won't say it out loud, she's glad he's the one teaching her. She already feels bad enough using one of the Empire's war machines, she doesn't want to imagine how much worse it would be if it was the Ashen Chevalier guiding her through how to use it.
Besides, seeing Randy piloting one of these things helps her feel like maybe she isn't such a traitor after all.
"Oh, there you are," Randy says. "Was starting to think you'd already forgotten everything we'd taught you this morning."
Juna snorts.
"As if," she replies. "I was just double and triple checking everything to make sure I got it right. This is my first time in one of these things, you know?"
Somehow she manages to keep her tone casual, despite everything she feels. She swallows as she adjusts her grip on the controls, and does her best to stave off the negative thoughts. She just has to concentrate on getting through this, not just the lesson, but all the way through to graduation. Then she can go back home and join the police force like she'd originally intended. If she just keeps her eyes on her end goal, then she'll be able to tough it out no problem.
"How unexpectedly diligent," Randy responds.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Juna asks, narrowing her eyes.
"Hey, it's a compliment," he answers. "So, you ready to go?"
"I'm always ready," she replies.
"Good," Randy says. "I hope you keep up that enthusiasm, but today we'll just be running through the basics. Gotta learn to walk before you can run."
Juna nods, that makes sense, it was the same thing when they taught her how to drive at the academy. They made sure that the students could drive in a straight line, before they had them weaving between cones and stuff.
It turns out that piloting these metal monsters is easier than she'd thought. Sure, it's more complicated than driving a car and requires a fair bit more dexterity and multitasking, but it doesn't take her long to figure everything out. Pretty soon she's moving her machine effortlessly around the courtyard.
"Alright, halt!"
She responds instantly to Randy's command, and brings her Soldat to a halt. Of course, given the humanoid shape of the machine, just slamming on the breaks would just cause the thing to topple over. So she has to gently apply the breaks and decelerate, gradually gliding the machine to a halt.
"Nice work Juna," Randy says. "I think that's the best performance of the day so far. Now go take five."
She can't help but smile at his words, a sense of pride swelling in her chest. It's probably the first thing she's done really well at since she got here. However, that buoyancy she feels quickly deflates when she remembers just what it is she's being praised for. She's not sure that being the best at piloting one of these is entirely a good thing.
"Jessica! Wayne! You're up!"
Juna nods, and manoeuvres the machine into a kneeling position, before switching off most of the systems and disembarking. As she leaps out of the cockpit and lands on the asphalt below, she can already see Jessica approaching. She gives her fellow tennis club member a nod and a smile as they draw close.
"That was actually pretty impressive," Jessica says.
Juna just smiles, for some reason she feels kind of embarrassed.
"Not really," she replies. "It was pretty easy."
Jessica smirks at her.
"I wouldn't say that, you definitely did better than the rest of the class so far," she says. "Including Kurt."
Jessica makes a motion with her forehead, and Juna turns around to follow her gaze. Indeed, Kurt doesn't seem to be having too great a time of it. He's got that carefully stoic expression on his face, an expression that Juna's learnt he only usually wears when he's trying to hide his irritation over something. However, her gaze lingers on him for only a moment before her attention is caught by something else.
Class Nine are gathered together outside the entrance to the hanger, and her eyes instantly lock-on to a head of familiar green hair. Musse is standing there, watching the practice session with the rest of her class, but there's something different about her. Juna can't quite put her finger on what it is, but there's just something that sets Musse apart from the crowd. The way she holds herself, maybe? She does seem to exude more confidence than the rest of Class Nine combined.
Then Musse tilts her head slightly to look straight at her, and the two of them lock gazes across the courtyard. Even with the distance she can feel those grey eyes on her, like they're staring right in to her soul. Then the smaller girl raises her hand slightly and gives her a little wave, and for some reason that causes the heat to rises lightly in Juna's cheeks.
Juna gives a wave of her own, before quickly turning away.
Yeah, she really shouldn't be staring at her friends like she's trying to judge them. The reason her eyes went to Musse is probably because she's spent more time around her than anyone else in Class Nine, even Louise.
After that session in the library a week ago, she feels like she got a glimpse into Musse's head, not much, but she got to see a little bit of the real her leaking out. And, well, it's kinda hard not feel closer to someone after that.
With that thought in mind Juna leans back against the wall of the school building, and settles in to watch the rest of the class.
Hours later, when the sun hangs low in sky turning the blue into a brilliant orange, Juna once again finds herself sitting in in Recette.
Honestly, the little bakery has probably become her most regular hangout ever since she first came here with Musse a couple of weeks ago. If Morge's back in Crossbell is a trendy, high street establishment, then this is a quaint little countryside bakery. It's a nice, cozy little place with a comfortable atmosphere, the perfect place to relax after a long day of classes and training.
And boy, does she need to relax after today.
Fortunately, it doesn't look like anyone else is here right now. Well, there are a couple of people sitting at the counter, but it's no-one she knows. Truthfully, she wouldn't be here right now either if tennis practice hadn't been cancelled, that Ash guy kind of left a mess when he challenged Instructor Rean. Honestly, she's surprised that jerk didn't even get detention after a stunt like that, the police academy wouldn't have tolerated that sort of insubordination even before the … change in management.
As always, when she starts to think of the annexation of Crossbell her mood begins to sour. It's like an ice-cold hand reaches into her chest, grips her heart, and begins to squeeze. Fortunately, she's quickly pulled out of her funk when she hears a familiar voice.
"I thought I'd find you here,"
She looks up, and smiles when she sees Musse standing right next to the table. The green-haired girl has her usual gentle smile on her face as she looks down at her, and Juna can't help but smile back.
"I expected you to," she replies. "I mean, we've been meeting up here a lot."
Musse giggles as she sits herself in the seat opposite. Juna almost laughs herself, even the way Musse lowers herself into her seats makes her seem upper class.
"Why?" Musse asks. "Is there something you needed from me?"
"Kinda," Juna replies. "I just wanted to talk about the field trip we're supposed to be going on."
Before she can say anything further, Liza approaches and places two plates down on the table, each with a slice of strawberry cake. Juna furrows her brow as she stares at the dessert sitting on the table in front of her, it looks delicious, but that's not the issue.
"Um," she says. "I don't remember ordering anything."
"Oh, that was me," Musse responds. "You were deep in thought when I came in, so I took the liberty of ordering something for you. I hope you don't mind?"
Juna quickly glances down at the dessert in front of her, before raising her head to look at Musse again. Then she shrugs, and grabs the spoon.
"Not at all," she answers. "I was gonna get something to eat before heading back anyway."
She quickly grabs her fork, slices off a piece of her cake, and lifts it to her mouth. The moment it touches her tongue she almost squeals from how good it tastes, it toes the line of being almost too sweet, without crossing over it. Not to mention how light and fluffy it is, it's almost enough to make her forget how many calories are probably in it.
"It's so good!" she declares.
"Indeed," Musse replies. "I had this last time I was here, and I couldn't wait to share it with someone."
"I can see why," Juna says.
"So, what is it you wanted to ask me?" Musse says.
Juna blinks, the deliciousness of the cake had almost driven her prior thoughts from her mind.
"Oh right," she responds. "I wanted to ask if you know anything about this Saint-Arkh place."
Musse hums.
"Why?" she asks. "Feeling nervous?"
Juna shrugs. "A little. I've only been in the Empire a few weeks, and I'm barely used to Leeves. I'd rather not go traipsing around the rest of the country with no idea where I am."
Musse nods her head, and then releases a long sigh.
"That's fair enough," she replies. "Unfortunately, the last time I was in Saint-Arkh was some time ago. I'm not sure how much I accurately remember, or how much use any of it will be."
Juna shrugs again.
"Hey," she says. "I'll take anything you can give me."
Musse smiles, the kind of smile that makes her look a little bit like a wolf, which stands at odds with her soft features. Yet, despite how dangerous her expression looks, it only serves to make her look prettier somehow. Juna would probably be jealous, is she wasn't so curious as to how the other girl manages it. She imagines that any guy who gets into a relationship with the petite noble is going to need to be on their toes.
"Very well," Musse says. "I suppose it won't hurt to refresh my own memory as well."
- - -
Juna all but collapses into her seat, and a heavy sighs bursts from her lips.
She has pretty much the entire food car to herself right now, and she's almost thankful for that. For some goddess-forsaken reason Class Eight are still up to something outside, and she thinks Class Nine are still up in the first car.
Her legs feel so sore, she doesn't think she's ever done as much walking as she has today! Seriously, they must have covered the length and breadth of the city three times over; and Saint-Arkh is a big city! She never thought she'd say it, but she's thankful for all the endurance training they put them through at the academy, otherwise she's pretty sure she wouldn't be able to move at all right now.
She's also grateful for the lesson Musse had given her, and not just because it gave her some idea of what to expected. She'll never forget the smile Instructor Claire gave her after she'd been able to accurately surmise the history of the city, or the look of surprise on Kurt's face. Although, she could have done with his comment on her study habits.
Jerk.
She groans as she throws her arms wide and feels her bones pop. She's just finished writing up her report with Allie and Kurt too, so she's exhausted both physically and mentally.
"Oh my, that was a big yawn."
Juna turns her head, a smile spreading across her lips at the sound of the familiar voice. Sure enough she finds Musse standing right next to her table, and she's not alone either. Tita is standing right beside her, the blonde engineer has a smile on her face, but there's also a faint redness to her cheeks and she twiddles her fingers nervously. Huh, come to think about it, she can't say she's ever seen Musse and Tita hanging out together outside of class before.
"Hey guys, what's up?" she asks.
Musse giggles, and the light, melodic sound sends a shiver down Juna's spine. Her laugh isn't unpleasant by any means, but Juna's come to understand that that specific laugh goes hand in hand with some kind of mischief.
"Oh, Tita was just regaling me with tales of her romantic exploits," she answers.
"Musse!" Tita protests.
Juna frowns. To be honest, she doesn't think Tita's the type to have "romantic exploits", unless...
"Wait," she says. "Is this about Agate?"
"Oh, so his name's Agate?" Musse responds, sounding delighted.
Tita's face turns so red that Juna fears she might actually burst into flame, and she can do nothing but offer the other girl an apologetic smile. She scratches sheepishly at the back of her head. Okay yeah, that was her bad, she'll put her loose lips down to be overly tired. She'll have to make it up to her somehow once they get back to the academy. Maybe a few free pancakes from Recette will smooth things over?
On the other hand, she's been trying to get Tita to open up about her relationship with that Bracer for the last week, and some good, old-fashioned girl talk sounds like just what she needs after a long day of fighting freaky monsters and weird machines.
"I've gotta admit," she says. "I've been kind of been wondering about that myself. I mean, the two of you did look awfully close when I saw the two of you together."
Musse claps her hands together excitedly, whilst Tita's face somehow grows even redder.
"Juna!" she exclaims. "Well, what about you?! You and Kurt look like you're getting on really well recently?"
Juna nearly chokes on her own breath. Her and Kurt? For just a second she tries to picture it in her head, the two of them holding hand, hugging, and … kissing. It's difficult for her to even imagine, like her mind can't quite comprehend the idea, and it kinda weirds her out.
"Nuh-uh," she answers. "Kurt's a great guy and all, but I'm not interested."
"Really?" Musse asks.
Once again, Juna feels a little chill run down her spine at the sound of Musse's voice.
"Well," she says. "What about you?"
"Hmm? Oh, I'm waiting for instructor Rean to come and sweep me off my feet," she answers. "Although he may need to be persuaded a little first."
Juna almost physically recoils from Musse's words. She tries to picture the scene in her head, of Musse clinging to instructor Rean's arm, and it makes her feel kind of uncomfortable. Her stomach tightens as she imagines it, like the scenario is wrong in some way. She thinks its probably just the idea of picturing her teacher dating, it's weird. Not to mention that he's, well, the Ashen Chevalier.
She opens her mouth to speak, but before she can another voice cuts her off. It's a woman's voice, and it cuts loud and clear through the quite night.
"Are you sure about that!?"
The voice is kinda shrill, and cuts through Juna's mind like a cold knife, almost making her shiver.
All three girls stare at each other with wide eyes, before they suddenly burst into movement. Juna scrambles to her feet, but as she does a loud roar splits the the air and the whole train shakes. The world spins and she feels a sense of vertigo as her feet slip from under her, and she flails her arms as she goes tumbling towards the ground. Then everything turns white, as a sharp pain suddenly erupts inside her skull. She doesn't even feel herself hit the ground.
There's a loud ringing in her ears, her thoughts are a scrambled mess, and it feels like her head is full of white noise. It actually takes a moment for her to even realises that she's lying down. Even when the pain in her head begins to recede, all she can see is a smear of colour in green, yellow, and blue.
She can hear the sound of voices, but they sound subdued and distorted, like hearing them through water. She can also feel something warm and soft laying on top of her.
When her vision begins to clear, she can see a face hovering over her, grey looking down at her with obvious concern. The first thing that occurs to her is that the girl is pretty, the second is that she recognises her. Although, despite the inclining of recognition, it takes her a second to grasp the name that goes with the face. She blinks rapidly as she tries to get her thoughts in order, so that she can give voice to her realisation.
"M – Musse?"
"Oh good, you're conscious," Musse responds. There's a smile on her lips, but it's strained.
Juna's never seen that look on the other girl's face before, it feels wrong.
"Is she okay?"
Another girl comes into view, and a second later Juna remembers that Tita is there with them.
"Don't move," Musse says.
"What..."
The green-haired girl gently places her hand against the side of Juna's head, and Juna can how soft and warm it is. Gradually that warmth begins to grow stronger, and it feels so soothing and nice. Pretty soon the side of her head begins to tingle lightly, and with that tingling comes a sense of clarity as her thoughts become less sluggish. With it the ringing in her ears ceases, and she can hear the sounds around her much more clearly; including the unmistakable sound of gunfire and explosions coming from outside.
Juna immediately forces herself to sit-up, barely avoiding crashing heads with Musse as the other girl quickly moves out of the way.
Musse extends her hand and Juna takes it, allowing the green-haired girl to help her to her feet. She looses her balance again for a second, her head spins and she almost falls straight on to her face again. Fortunately, Musse is there to catch her, although it's a bit awkward considering that she is a fair bit taller than the green-haired girl.
"Easy," Musse says. "You took quite a knock to the head."
Juna pushes herself away from the smaller girl, and places a hand to the side of her own head. She feels something wet under her fingertips, and they come away slick with blood. Juna feels her stomach sink at the sight of it, and tries in vain to swallow the nerves she can feel building in her chest. She turns her gaze to the table, and sees a little bit of blood splattered across the edge.
When she turns to face Musse again the other girl is giving her another smile, the kind of comforting smile nurses offer to sick patients.
"Thank you," Juna says.
Her words are simple, but it's probably one of the most sincere expressions of gratitude she's ever given. If Musse hadn't have been here … well, she doesn't even want to think about it.
"You're welcome," Musse replies. "Now if you can move, I think we should get moving."
Another explosion rends the air, causing the whole train to vibrate.
"Yeah, you're right," Juna says. "My weapon's in storage."
"As is mine," Musse responds.
"Alright, let's get going," Juna replies.
Just as she says that however, another resounding boom cuts through the air, followed by a nearby window exploding. Tita squeals, and both Musse and Juna cry out in alarm as shards of broken glass rain down around them. Juna reacts almost by instinct, tucking her head in and hoping to avoid getting hit anywhere important. Fortunately, most of the shards hitting the back of her uniform, and fail to penetrate the reinforced leather and fabric.
"Everyone okay?" she asks.
When both of the other girls reply in the affirmative, she releases a breath she didn't even realise she was holding.
"I thought the glass was supposed to be bulletproof," she comments.
"It is," Tita replies.
Juna doesn't say anything as she feels her stomach plummet, because that just makes her feel even worse about the situation.
Instead she turns her head towards Musse and nods, and the other girl nods back. With that she begins to move, creeping forward whilst remaining low, out of the line-of-sight of the windows. She can feel the shards of glass being ground to dust beneath her boots, and the sound of more crunching glass lets her now that the other two have fallen in behind her. Like that they carefully pass by the counter, crossing the thirty or so feet to the door.
Juna reaches up to grasp the handle, and carefully slides the door open.
The car beyond is one of the sleeping quarters, and fortunately it looks empty. Seeing no danger she leads the way, keeping low but hurrying her pace as she continues to make her way forward, making sure to stay out of sight of the windows. The door at the end of this car leads to the weapons car, which is where her tonfa are currently being held. Once she gets hold of them she can head outside and back-up the others. Fortunately, none of these windows break as crawl beneath them.
She feels her stomach clench as she realises that Kurt and Ally are probably out there fighting already. She has to hurry, she doesn't know what she'll do if either of them gets hurt and she wasn't there to stop it! Especially Ally!
They reach the other end without incident, and once again she reaches up to quickly slides the door open.
Immediately she can tell that something is wrong, and she quickly spots what. One of the exterior doors is standing slightly open, and she can hear the sounds of the battle raging outside much more clearly. However, she can hear another sound just below that, a kind of mechanical whirring, like something rotating at rapid speed.
"Above us!" Musse says.
Juna raises her gaze, and immediately spots the source of the whirring noise. One of those mechanical monstrosities has gotten into the train! It's rotors spinning rapidly to keep it aloft.
Just as she considers backing of an retreating the archaism turns around, swaying lightly as it rotates. Her eyes go wide as she sees the gun turrets reposition themselves to face her.
"Oh crap!"
Juna throws herself to the side a split second before the drone opens fire, and the stream of bullets strike the floor where she'd been kneeling less than a second before. A second later Musse and Tita sidle up next to her, keeping their own back firmly against the steel wall. The trio stay there, eyes trained on the door as they wait for the machine to follow them. Only for the second to tick past, and nothing to happen.
Her brow furrows. It isn't coming to attack them? Why not?
"Perhaps it's waiting for us to make the first move?" Musse says, answering her unvoiced question.
Juna nods her head, because thinking about it that makes sense. The archaisms she'd fought with the others had been capable of fighting tactically, nothing amazing, but tactics all the same. It didn't take a genius to realise that the doorway was their only way into the engineering car, and it makes a pretty good bottleneck. Even if they decide to try and move back to the previous car, it can basically see the entire corridor from where it is.
The pink-haired girl groans as she realises that it has them effectively trapped.
Okay, she just has to think. It's a stupid machine, what could they use against it? She grabs her Arcus, gripping tightly in her hand, but quickly remembers that she doesn't actually have any appropriate quartz equipped.
"I don't suppose either of you guys have any electricity quartz equipped?" she asks.
To he disappointment and frustration, both of the other girls shake their heads.
"I'm afraid mine are mostly healing quartz, with a couple of water-based arts," Musse answers.
"I, er..." Tita begins. "I left my Arcus in the engineering car."
Juna just sighs, right, of course.
Then she takes a deep breath, and tries to calm herself down. Okay, just think. What would Lloyd do? She tries to imagine it the way Randy taught her during class, think about the people she's got with her, and what they can do.
As mean as it sounds, Tita is pretty useless here. Even though she's the expert when it comes to machines she doesn't have a weapon, and she doesn't have her Arcus, so there's not much she can do to help. She doesn't necessarily need either of those things for the plan Juna can feel coming together in her head, but she'd rather not send the blonde in there completely unarmed.
Musse on the other hand, is a sharpshooter, and a pretty good one from what she's seen during their combined classes. Not to mention, she has her Arcus in case things get too hairy.
"Tita," she says. "Stay here. Musse -"
"Oh dear," Musse replies. "You're about to ask me to do something dangerous, aren't you?"
Juna grins, the tone of Musse's voice makes it clear she's trying to be funny, and not actually expressing reluctance.
"Do you know exactly where you're weapon is?" Juna asks.
"I do," Musse answers, nodding her head.
"Alright," Juna replies. "I'm gonna try to distract it. While I do I need you to go grab your rifle, and shoot it down. You in?"
Musse smiles, and nods her head again.
"I suppose I must be," she answers. "I can hardly leave you to fight it alone. What if something damages that pretty face again? And just after I healed it too."
For just a second Juna's mind gets caught-up on the complement, but she quickly pushes it away to focus on the task at hand. She can feel her heart hammering away against the inside of her chest, like it's trying to break through her ribcage. Her knuckles whiten as she grips her Arcus tighter and tighter, as she prepares one of the two offensive orbal artes she has.
"Alright then," she says. "You ready?"
Musse nods once more, and Juna leaps into action. She springs out from behind her covers, points her arm in the direction of the drone, and lets the art loose. Fire erupts from the palm of her hand, and it surges through the air towards the machine, striking it squarely in its chassis. The attack connects none to soon, as a stream of gunfire misses her by inches, its aim having been sent awry by the impact.
Juna pushes further into the room and leaps over the nearby work bench, intent on using it for cover if necessary. The smoke clears just as her feet strike the metal floor with a loud clang, and she can see that her attack didn't have much effect at all. The archaism has some new scorch marks across its surface, but the damage looks superficial at best. She ducks behind the bench just as the machine opens fire again, and the bullets ping off of the solid metal.
"Musse now!" she cries.
She hears the sound of boots pounding against the metal floor, and in her head she can picture the other girl racing through the doorway. At the same time the stream of gunfire stops, and she peeks her head over the top of the workbench. When she does she sees the drone pivoting itself in mid-air, repositioning itself to fire at Musse. Feeling a sudden surge of desperation Juna snatches one of the tools off the top of the bench, and hurls it at the machine. It strikes the drone with a loud clang, before hitting the floor with an equally loud bang.
That definitely catches its attention, as it spins back around to refocus on her. Juna ducks back behind the bench, only a moment before it opens fire on her again. She grips her Arcus to her chest, wondering if she should prepare another art just in case. Not that it will do much good, but it would be better than nothing, right?
In that moment another shot rings out, but this one is different from the rattle of machine gun fire. This one sounds more like a whistle and a rush of wind, and a blue light illuminates the inside of the car for a split-second. Then there comes a loud bang, as the shot presumably hits its target.
Juna peeks over the bench again, and spots Musse at the far end of the car. The green-haired girl is down on one knee, the stock of her rifle pressed against her shoulder, her head tilted and one eye closed so that she can aim along the sights. Her usual smile is missing, instead her lips are set in a thin line of determination, and it's an odd look on her face.
Black smoke drifts upwards from the archaism as it tries to reposition itself, attempting to focus on the greater threat. However, it moves erratically, swaying wildly from side to side as it turns itself around, and she quickly spots why. One of the engines has clearly been damage, the rotor blown clean off.
Musse fires again before it can finish turning, and the shot strikes the other engine, sending the machine spiralling downward. Then she fires a third time, striking the drone before it even hits the floor, and sending it flying across the room. Until it hits the wall with a thud, and then clatters to the ground below. Smoke billows from the wreckage as the sound of it's engines slowly whirr to a stop, and it's power source fails it.
Juna sighs in relief as she rises to her feet, and steps out from behind the workbench.
"Musse, you okay?" she asks.
The green-haired girl slowly lowers her weapon, and pushes herself into a standing position.
"I'm fine," she says. "What about you? You were the one getting shot at."
Juna scratches the back of her head, her stomach clenching as she realises just how close she'd come to getting riddled full of holes.
"Well, it was closer than I would have liked," she answers. "But I don't have a scratch on me."
However, before any more can be said the sound of screaming cuts through the air, and both girls turn towards the door. Immediately Juna begins moving towards the weapon storage.
There's no time for talking now.
About an hour later finds Juna sitting back in the seat she'd all but fallen out of earlier, trying not to blink as Instructor Towa shines a torch in her eyes. She tries to keep her gaze fixed forward as the smaller woman moves the around, it's honestly harder than she thought it would be to not follow the light around.
As such she can't see Altina standing beside her, but she can feel her. Kurt is sitting at nearby table, with Randy giving him a once over to make sure he's okay. Surprisingly, the blue-haired boy seems to the most exhausted out of all of them. Except for Sidney, whose slumped over a nearby table and barely conscious.
Most of the other students are also in the food car, each in various states of injury. The instructors and the members of the original Class Seven are moving up and down the aisle, offering aid where it's needed. She can see Jessica sitting in the seat right by the door, Laura kneeling down in front of her to examine her legs. Juna almost winces. The heir to house Schleiden had taken a pretty severe blow to her right leg earlier, and she can still hear the sound of her scream in her head. She really hopes it isn't anything too bad.
Although, despite her best attempts to hide it, she can tell that Altina is on her last legs too.
Instructor Towa hums.
"Do you feel any pain? Any headaches or anything?" she asks.
"Not really," Juna replies. "I'm mostly just exhausted. I keep telling you I'm fine."
"Juna," Altina cuts in. "Head injuries should always be treated with the utmost seriousness."
"Altina's right," Instructor Towa says. "Orbments are good for field medicine, but they're no substitute for real medicine. And head injuries can be unpredictable. Honestly, I'm tempted to keep you observation for a day just to make sure. But without obvious symptoms I don't think major Michael will approve."
She never thought she'd find herself feeling thankful for how much of a hardass Instructor Michael can be, but she guesses there's a first time for everything.
Instructor Towa finally turns off the light, and Juna blinks rapidly as the colours continue to dance in front of her eyes.
"Still," she continues. "If you feel like anything's off at all, make sure to let one of us instructors know."
Juna nods her head.
"I will," she answers.
Pushing herself to her feet takes a lot more effort than it should have, and her muscles protests the movement. If she thought she was exhausted before, it's nothing compared to now. Honestly, she could lay down on the floor and sleep right here. Now that she doesn't have the adrenaline pushing her forward her whole body feels like it's made of lead, and she her legs feel like they could give out at any moment.
It doesn't take long for her to get back in bed.
Despite how tired she is she finds herself unable to fall asleep straight away. Instead she stares up at the underside of the bunk above her, the events of the last couple of hours running through her head. She remembers the moment she lost her balance, and cracked her head against the table on the way down. She shivers as she remembers the pain that exploded inside her head, like her skull had just been split open.
She shivers again, remembering the feeling of her own rapidly cooling blood against her fingers.
Yeah, if Musse hadn't have been there she'd have been in real trouble.
Not to mention she probably wouldn't have been able to beat that archaism without her help. In her head she can still see the green-haired girl down on one knee, her rifle braced against her shoulder as she fills the machine full of holes. It's like she saw another side of the other girl today, a cooler, more dynamic side, as opposed to the cuter front she usually puts up. Not that Musse isn't cute, because she most definitely is.
As her mind falls into the comfortable oblivion of sleep, she remembers the sight of Musse's face as she leaned over her. The way her grey eyes shone with concern, and elegant features contorted with worry. Her soft-looking lips moving as she asked if asks if she's okay, her gentle touch as she heals her wounds. Although, what she hears is the other girl's comment about her having a pretty face.
Yeah, definitely cute.
Author's Note: Chapter 3 at long last, sorry for the wait. As always commentary and criticism is appreciated.
Chapter 4 - Pancakes and Poetry
Chapter 4 - Pancakes and Poetry
Juna groans as she finally gets to collapse onto the sofa in the common area. Her body aches all over, and not even a nice, hot bath had been enough to ease the soreness that is now deep in her muscles.
It had been a day, a single day, since they'd returned from their field exercises, and already she is exhausted. The dormitory is quiet, the common areas all but empty, except for a few stragglers still playing a card game in the mess hall. There's still a little over an hour to go before lights out, but she's pretty sure everyone's still a little tired from what happened down in Sutherland, so it wouldn't surprise her if a few people had chosen to turn in early. She'd probably join them if she could trust her legs to carry her up the stairs, unfortunately they currently feel like they're made of jelly.
She groans again as she leans back, trying to stretch out her back muscles. Maybe a nice, hot bath will help her loosen them up a little?
"Mira for your thoughts?"
A small smile crosses Juna's lips because she recognises that voice instantly, and sure enough when she turns her head she sees Musse standing at the bottom of the stairs, a soft smile on her lips.
Juna smiles back and shakes her head.
"I don't think my thoughts are worth a mira right now," she replies. "They're mostly about how much I want to go to bed."
As Musse saunters across the room towards her, Juna once again notices just how soft and delicate she seems. Okay, maybe that's a poor choice of words, she knows better than anyone that Musse is far from a delicate little flower. But she definitely has a real "ladylike" grace to her, she always seems so elegant no matter what she's doing. It's a little unfair really, even if it is nice to watch.
For some reason she remembers the incident in the train car from just a couple of nights ago. She can clearly remember how warm Musse had been, and close her beautiful face had been to her own, and just the memory makes her stomach squirm.
"Oh," Musse says. "From the look in your eyes I would say your thoughts just turned in a much more interesting direction."
Suddenly very aware of her cheeks burning Juna quickly turns her head away, and fixes her on the picture hanging on the opposite wall.
"Not really," she answers. "Just exhausted."
Her voices wavers a little, but probably not enough to be noticeable. Right?
Well, if Musse does notice she gives no sign of it.
Unfortunately, what the other girl does do is walk back into her line of sight as she takes a seat on the opposite couch. Once again, Juna can't help but notice just how poised graceful Musse is as she lowers herself into her seat. She's almost exactly like Juna had always imagined a noble woman to act act, just without the air of pretentiousness.
"Indeed," Musse says. "Altina told me Instructor Michael ran you ragged."
Juna huffs, but she ends up sounding more exasperated than annoyed.
"He made us run laps around the training yard," she says. "Don't ask me how many, 'cause I lost count."
"Poor dear," Musse says, softly.
"He also made us wear these backpacks the entire time," Juna continues. "I don't know what was in them, but they were heavy."
Musse nods, and while the soft smile remains on her face it almost looks kind of sad. Maybe it's just her imagination?
"In that case," she begins. "I suppose I should apologise then."
Juna can't help but frown.
"What? Why?" she asks.
"Well," Musse replies. "You were acting on my advice when you got into trouble."
Juna stares at the other girl for a second, and then snorts.
"I wouldn't worry about that," she says. "The three of us were going stir crazy being cooped up at camp while Instructor Rean was off doing Aidios knows what. We probably would've ended up doing something stupid anyway, you just gave us some direction."
Well, that's at least partially true. She was definitely getting worked-up enough to try something, but she's not really sure she can stay the same about Kurt or Allie. As much as she hates to admit it, the two of them are much better at holding their temper than she is, and they don't tend to get annoyed as easily as she does.
"Really we should be thanking you," she continues. "Your advice at least meant we went with a good plan that worked, instead of just bumbling through things."
Musse sighs dramatically, and the smile on her face becomes just a little too sweet. Juna recognises that smile, it's the one she wears when she's about to start teasing someone.
"And here I was going to offer to help you with our cultural studies homework," she says. "But I suppose there's no need for that now."
Juna can't help it, she actually winces. It's not that she can't appreciate good music, or art, or whatever, but she's never thought about it in the way Principal Le Guin wants them to think about it. She's never really thought about things like the symbolism in paintings, or why a songwriter chose to link certain movements together or whatever. That's not to mention that the principal's tastes tend to favour traditional Erebonian art, which she isn't exactly an expert in.
As for the homework itself, well... It's poetry. The principal wants to write some kind of poem. Admittedly, she's given them some degree of freedom with the project; the subject can be anything they want, and they can use any style they want as long as they're consistent with it. Still, Juna would never describe herself as being much of a poet.
"Well," she says. "I mean, I really could use some help with that."
Musse taps her chin with her index finger and hums thoughtfully, clearly having a little too much fun.
"But is there any need?" she replies. "You said there's no need for me to make it up to you."
"Okay, why don't we make a deal?" Juna asks. "You help me with my cultural studies homework, and I'll help you with...?"
She trails off. What could she offer to help Musse with? The other girl is like a star student! She's at the top of every class, or at least in the top three. Either way, she's miles ahead of her when it comes to academics.
Fortunately, it seems like Musse decides to take mercy on her, and she giggles as she leans back in her seat.
"Well," she begins. "How about this? I'll help you with the cultural studies homework, and you simply owe me a favour to be called in at a later date? I'm sure they'll be something I need help with before our two years are up."
Juna nods immediately, she can live with that kind of deal!
"Sure," she answers. "As long as it's not something that'll put me in prison."
Juna chuckles, and as she does Musse pouts in a way that has to be exaggerated or something. Still, even though it's so overwrought, it's kind of adorable, like she's a lost puppy or something. Bizarrely, it occurs to her that Instructor Rean must have a will of steel or something to resist this adorable creature. Man, she really must be exhausted.
"Aww," Musse whines. "And here I was hoping you'd help me steal the crown jewels."
Juna just rolls her eyes.
However, before she can reply she hears the clanging of the church bell marking the hour.
Musse rises from her seat, just as gracefully as when she had sat down.
"Ah," she says. "I suppose I should get a move on. I wanted to have a quick bath before bed. Care to join me?"
Juna shrugs, and then groans as she struggles to climb to her feet.
"Why not?" she answers. "If I can get up the stairs and fetch my stuff."
Musse lifts a single eyebrow.
"Would you like me to run up and fetch a towel for you?" she asks. "Then afterwards I can carry you up to bed."
Juna chuckles, because the other girl is obviously teasing. Could Musse actually carry her upstairs? With the help of her Arcus, probably. However, it would still make for a hilarious sight given the height difference between the two of them.
Although, as she imagines it in her head, the picture of Musse carrying her bridal-style up the stairs, it starts to seem less amusing and more …weird. It's like there's something about the idea that makes her feel a little nervous.
'Because it would be embarrassing!' she thinks.
Yeah, that's true. Having to be carried to bed because she couldn't get upstairs by herself would be downright humiliating.
Musse actually makes good on her promise the very next day.
The noble girl finds her right after glasses let out, and minutes later the two of them are walking the familiar path from the academy to the town. As they go Juna remembers the first time she had walked into town with Musse like this, back on her very first day here. The lino flowers had been in bloom them, and the blossoms fluttering down all around them had made for a really pretty scene. Of course, the lino trees don't blossom for all that long, and all their petals have long been spent.
Still, the walk back is pretty nice despite that. She didn't really get to see scenery like this back in Crossbell.
"Hey, Musse," Juna says. "Why are we heading into town? Shouldn't we be going to the library or something?"
Musse shakes her head, a gives her a knowing smile. That expression would probably be insufferable if she wasn't so cute.
"I find poetry is better done somewhere more relaxing," she replies. "It's all about expressing you thoughts and feelings, so somewhere where you can better express yourself is more suitable. At least for me. And I noticed that you get pretty uptight in the library."
Juna hums. She wouldn't say she gets uptight, but yeah, libraries are hardly a place she finds relaxing.
Otherwise, she supposes that what Musse said makes sense.
"Don't worry, if you have any questions about rules and structure that's what I'm here for," Musse says.
Which is why the two of them end up at their regular table in Recette only a few minutes later. Juna practically hums as the smell of freshly-baked bread reaches her nose. Back when she'd first come here it had reminded her of Morge's back home, but the two are really quite different. Morge's is just as high-energy as the rest of the city, or as high-energy as a bakery gets anyway, whereas Recette is much more relaxed, making it the perfect place to unwind afterschool.
Of course, any hope of relaxing goes completely out of the window once there's a blank sheet of paper on the table in front of her.
"I suppose we should start by figuring out the structure of your poem," Musse says. "Given that you're a complete novice, I would advise sticking to standard rhyming couplets for now."
Juna nods her head in agreement; she doesn't particularly like be called a novice, but it's completely accurate in this case.
"Right," she replies. "But won't writing something too simple go against me?"
"Possibly," Musse concedes. "But you're not the only person in class who has no previous experience with poetry, so I doubt Principal Le Guin will judge your work too harshly."
Juna releases a breath she didn't even realise she'd been holding.
"Okay," she whispers. "Rhyming couplets. Simple enough."
"Indeed," Musse says. "For now let's just practice the basic form. I suppose the most important thing for you to know is metre."
Juna groans, and sinks into her seat.
"Already busting out the technical terms, huh?" she mutters.
Musse giggles, hiding her mouth behind her hand.
"It's really not that bad," she says. "But for your sake, I'll try to keep it as simple as possible."
Juna has the sneaking suspicion that Musse might be making fun of her when she talks about keeping things "simple", but she chooses not to say anything about it because, well, she can't really deny it. It's not like they taught classes in poetry at the police academy, and she definitely hadn't expected it from a freaking military academy! Well whatever, the point is that it's something she absolutely needs help with, so for now she'll just have to swallow her pride.
To Musse's credit, she does keep the lesson simple, and as a result Juna is able to grasp the concepts fairly easily. Still, even though she understands the principal of lines having the same number of syllables, and keep the emphasis on every other syllable, that doesn't mean she's anywhere close to having a finished poem. It's surprisingly difficult to pick words that make sense together, and fit the rhythm she's established.
It's about an hour into their study session when Liza brings over a tray of sweets that Juna barely remembers ordering, and she smell of them causes her stomach to growl.
"Well, I suppose this is as good a time as any for a break. You've gotten a feel for the technical aspects," Musse says. "All that's needed now is practice, and for you to pick a subject to write about."
A subject, right. She hadn't given any consideration to that yet.
"Hmm, that's gonna be a tough one," she says. "I'm not sure if I've got anything that could go into a poem."
Musse waves her hand, and giggles again.
"Oh, it doesn't have to be anything grandiose," she replies. "As long as it's something you care about. Love is always a popular subject, for example."
Juna can feel the heat seeping into her cheeks at the other girls words. Love? What, she should just like write about someone she likes so that it can be read out in front of the class, exposing her to untold embarrassment? Yeah, no thanks. She doesn't really have anyone she likes right now anyway, no matter what Randy says.
"Is, uh," Juna stutters. "Is that what you plan on writing about?"
Musse sighs dramatically, almost sounding exactly like some blushing maiden from some old-fashioned story.
"Oh, I could write pages and pages of poetry about my burning passion for our valiant Ashen Chevalier," she says.
Juna sighs, and roles her eyes. Of course.
"But I think this time I shall refrain," Musse continues. "Perhaps I shall instead write about you."
For the second time in about thirty seconds Juna can feel her cheeks heating up.
"M– me?" she stutters.
"I heard that you cut quite the dashing figure during the incident in Sutherland," Musse explains. "And it makes such a delightful contrast to the silly girl you can be the rest of the time."
Juna rolls her eyes, certain the Musse is just messing with her. Still, even that knowledge doesn't alleviate the weird feeling in her gut, or the heat in her cheeks. At least, until her mind makes it past the description of her "dashing figure", and absorbs the rest of the other girl's sentence.
"Wait," she says. "What do you mean "the silly girl I am the rest of the time"?"
Musse giggles and taps her chin thoughtfully, a fox-like smile spreading across her lips.
"Well," she begins. "You're quite impulsive, always diving into things head-first, and you speak without thinking. Especially with that hot temper of yours. At the same time you're quite stubborn, and headstrong."
Juna frowns, feeling just the tiniest bit of resentment inside her at Musse's unflattering words. Okay, yeah, she knows she can be a little bit hot-blooded at times, and sometimes she's has a hard time letting things go, but … actually that does sound a little bad now that she thinks about it.
"But I think they're all wonderful traits in their own way," Musse continues.
That catches Juna's attention.
"What?" she asks.
"Well, that impulsive streak of yours means you're not afraid to make a move where others would falter," Musse explains. "And your stubbornness means you hold fast where others would fold. And having grown up amongst the nobility, it's awfully refreshing to hear some say what they actually mean."
Perhaps it's her imagination, a trick of the twilight filtering in through the window, but Juna thinks her smile falters slightly.
"You're an earnest and honest girl," Musse says. "And I think that's admirable."
Oh, well maybe that's not so bad...
"Then there's your sinful smile that makes me weak in the knees," Musse continues. Then she sighs dramatically, and places a hand on her chest.
Suddenly Juna's face feels like it is on fire, and her mind goes completely blank as the other girl's words blows every other thought from her head. For a second she can't even comprehend what Musse just said, and when she does she finds herself completely unable to articulate a response. Her mouth moves, but no sound comes out. Eventually she's able to find her voice, but it's little more than a weak:
"Huh?"
If she hadn't been thrown off so much by Musse's words, she might have found the grin on her face a little too self-satisfied.
"Well, you are a very pretty girl, Juna," she says.
Juna's eyes go wide, and impossibly she feels her cheeks grow even hotter. Suddenly staring at Musse is very difficult, like staring straight into the sun, and she quickly averts her gaze. She finds herself looking down at the table like it's the most fascinating thing she's ever seen; oh look, there's a scratch, she wonder how that happened? Maybe someone dropped their fork or something?
"N– not really," she replies.
She doesn't know why this is so weird, she's had friends comment on her looks before. Then again, she's never had any tell her that she makes them weak at the knees, or describe her smile as "sinful".
"The way you blush is adorable too," Musse continues. "Why, if I were a man I might not be able to hold myself back."
Juna's head snaps back up, and she looks a lot like a startled deer. When she tries to speak her throat feels a little tight, and her voice comes out strained.
"But, um, we're both girls," she says.
Musse raises an eyebrow.
"Oh, would that be a problem?" she asks.
"Well... Um, I mean," Juna stutters. "It's just not … how things usually go?"
Right? It's usually a man and woman, yeah? Not that there's anything wrong with people who don't do it that way, or anything!
She can't even imagine what her parents would say if she'd brought a girl home, especially when her mum keeps talking about boyfriends. It's not like she thinks her parents would throw her out or anything, but she bets it would definitely throw both of them for a loop. Although, she doesn't think her family even knows anyone who's that way inclined, so she doesn't really know what her parents would think about it.
"Her ruby lips upon so fair a face, tempt even the purest maiden to sin,"
Juna actually squeaks, and she feels a sort of nervous tension that causes her to sit ramrod straight in her seat.
"W– what are you doing?!" she asks.
Musse makes a noise that's halfway between a hum and a chuckle, and taps her chin thoughtfully.
"Why, composing the beginning of my poem, of course," she replies.
That only makes her more nervous, considering Musse just said she was considering writing a poem about her. And what exactly does she mean about lips that tempt maidens to sin?! Besides, her lips aren't that red...
Despite the fact that the evening's drawing in, it's starting to feel a little too warm in here.
She's just messing with her right?
"Y'know what?" Juna says. "Why don't we call it here for today?"
"Oh, are you sure?" Musse asks.
Juna nods her head a little to enthusiastically.
"Yeah," she says. "I just, um, I don't think I'm in the right head space for it right now. I'll think about what I want the subject for the poem to be, and we can discuss it next time."
Musse taps her finger against her chin again, although the smile on her lips is more cheeky than thoughtful, and her eyes shine with mischief.
"Very well," she says. "I admit, I am eager to see what you come up with by yourself."
Juna gives her the best smile she can manage.
"Right!" she says.
Unfortunately, it turns out not to be that easy.
After dinner Juna gets changed into her pyjamas, but rather than getting into bed she sits herself down at her desk. She has her notebook open in front of her, her pen held lightly in her hand. The silence of the dormitory, combined with the warm glow of the lamp makes for a rather cosy atmosphere. Maybe it'll get her creative juices flowing?
Whilst she doesn't expected to complete the assignment tonight, she'd thought she could at least make a start on it. If nothing else she can jot down a list of ideas, the things she cares enough for to write a poem about them.
Top of the list is Crossbell, of course, she could write an entire book about what makes her home so special; but whilst she's sure that's what she'll end up writing about, she does want to come up with a couple of back-up ideas, just in case. It'll show she put the work in, if nothing else.
Unfortunately...
Her lovely lavender eyes, and skin like porcelain...
Juna groans, and bangs her head against the table.
Every time she tries to think about what to write, it comes back to the same thing. Musse. She keeps recalling the way the girl from Class Nine had looked when they'd been sitting in Recette; the mischievous smile on her lips, and the way her eyes had shone like she knew something no-one else did. And, well … Musse is very pretty, she'd have to be blind to miss that; but somehow even just acknowledging how pretty she is makes her chest feel strangely heavy.
She groans again. This is all Musse's fault, for putting weird thoughts in her head.
"Juna?"
The girl in question raises her head of the desk, and shifts in her seat to look behind her. Where she finds Altina sitting on the edge of her bed, looking right at her.
"Oh, sorry Allie," she says. "Did I wake you up?"
"Yes," she replies, without hesitation.
Ouch, absolutely no attempt to sugar coat it, huh? Well, she guesses that's just how Allie is, and she can't blame her if she's grouchy after being woken up like that.
"Is something the matter?" Altina asks.
Juna shakes her head, and sighs.
"No," she replies. "Just stressing over this assignment for Principal Le Guin's class."
"The poem?"
"Yeah."
"Unfortunately, I do not know much about poetry," Altina says. "So I'm afraid I can not be of much help."
Juna gives her room-mate a soft smile, and shakes her head again. To her credit, Altina actually sounds sorry that she is unable to help.
"Don't worry about it," she says. "I was just about to wrap it up for the night anyway. I'll hit the library tomorrow, see if I can dig up any more books on poetry."
Altina nods stiffly, clearly trying to stifle a yawn.
"Yes," she replies. "Additional research could be beneficial."
"Come on," Juna says. "Let's get to bed. We've got class in the morning.
She just hopes she doesn't dream about the weird stuff Musse put in her head too.
Juna groans as she finally gets to collapse onto the sofa in the common area. Her body aches all over, and not even a nice, hot bath had been enough to ease the soreness that is now deep in her muscles.
It had been a day, a single day, since they'd returned from their field exercises, and already she is exhausted. The dormitory is quiet, the common areas all but empty, except for a few stragglers still playing a card game in the mess hall. There's still a little over an hour to go before lights out, but she's pretty sure everyone's still a little tired from what happened down in Sutherland, so it wouldn't surprise her if a few people had chosen to turn in early. She'd probably join them if she could trust her legs to carry her up the stairs, unfortunately they currently feel like they're made of jelly.
She groans again as she leans back, trying to stretch out her back muscles. Maybe a nice, hot bath will help her loosen them up a little?
"Mira for your thoughts?"
A small smile crosses Juna's lips because she recognises that voice instantly, and sure enough when she turns her head she sees Musse standing at the bottom of the stairs, a soft smile on her lips.
Juna smiles back and shakes her head.
"I don't think my thoughts are worth a mira right now," she replies. "They're mostly about how much I want to go to bed."
As Musse saunters across the room towards her, Juna once again notices just how soft and delicate she seems. Okay, maybe that's a poor choice of words, she knows better than anyone that Musse is far from a delicate little flower. But she definitely has a real "ladylike" grace to her, she always seems so elegant no matter what she's doing. It's a little unfair really, even if it is nice to watch.
For some reason she remembers the incident in the train car from just a couple of nights ago. She can clearly remember how warm Musse had been, and close her beautiful face had been to her own, and just the memory makes her stomach squirm.
"Oh," Musse says. "From the look in your eyes I would say your thoughts just turned in a much more interesting direction."
Suddenly very aware of her cheeks burning Juna quickly turns her head away, and fixes her on the picture hanging on the opposite wall.
"Not really," she answers. "Just exhausted."
Her voices wavers a little, but probably not enough to be noticeable. Right?
Well, if Musse does notice she gives no sign of it.
Unfortunately, what the other girl does do is walk back into her line of sight as she takes a seat on the opposite couch. Once again, Juna can't help but notice just how poised graceful Musse is as she lowers herself into her seat. She's almost exactly like Juna had always imagined a noble woman to act act, just without the air of pretentiousness.
"Indeed," Musse says. "Altina told me Instructor Michael ran you ragged."
Juna huffs, but she ends up sounding more exasperated than annoyed.
"He made us run laps around the training yard," she says. "Don't ask me how many, 'cause I lost count."
"Poor dear," Musse says, softly.
"He also made us wear these backpacks the entire time," Juna continues. "I don't know what was in them, but they were heavy."
Musse nods, and while the soft smile remains on her face it almost looks kind of sad. Maybe it's just her imagination?
"In that case," she begins. "I suppose I should apologise then."
Juna can't help but frown.
"What? Why?" she asks.
"Well," Musse replies. "You were acting on my advice when you got into trouble."
Juna stares at the other girl for a second, and then snorts.
"I wouldn't worry about that," she says. "The three of us were going stir crazy being cooped up at camp while Instructor Rean was off doing Aidios knows what. We probably would've ended up doing something stupid anyway, you just gave us some direction."
Well, that's at least partially true. She was definitely getting worked-up enough to try something, but she's not really sure she can stay the same about Kurt or Allie. As much as she hates to admit it, the two of them are much better at holding their temper than she is, and they don't tend to get annoyed as easily as she does.
"Really we should be thanking you," she continues. "Your advice at least meant we went with a good plan that worked, instead of just bumbling through things."
Musse sighs dramatically, and the smile on her face becomes just a little too sweet. Juna recognises that smile, it's the one she wears when she's about to start teasing someone.
"And here I was going to offer to help you with our cultural studies homework," she says. "But I suppose there's no need for that now."
Juna can't help it, she actually winces. It's not that she can't appreciate good music, or art, or whatever, but she's never thought about it in the way Principal Le Guin wants them to think about it. She's never really thought about things like the symbolism in paintings, or why a songwriter chose to link certain movements together or whatever. That's not to mention that the principal's tastes tend to favour traditional Erebonian art, which she isn't exactly an expert in.
As for the homework itself, well... It's poetry. The principal wants to write some kind of poem. Admittedly, she's given them some degree of freedom with the project; the subject can be anything they want, and they can use any style they want as long as they're consistent with it. Still, Juna would never describe herself as being much of a poet.
"Well," she says. "I mean, I really could use some help with that."
Musse taps her chin with her index finger and hums thoughtfully, clearly having a little too much fun.
"But is there any need?" she replies. "You said there's no need for me to make it up to you."
"Okay, why don't we make a deal?" Juna asks. "You help me with my cultural studies homework, and I'll help you with...?"
She trails off. What could she offer to help Musse with? The other girl is like a star student! She's at the top of every class, or at least in the top three. Either way, she's miles ahead of her when it comes to academics.
Fortunately, it seems like Musse decides to take mercy on her, and she giggles as she leans back in her seat.
"Well," she begins. "How about this? I'll help you with the cultural studies homework, and you simply owe me a favour to be called in at a later date? I'm sure they'll be something I need help with before our two years are up."
Juna nods immediately, she can live with that kind of deal!
"Sure," she answers. "As long as it's not something that'll put me in prison."
Juna chuckles, and as she does Musse pouts in a way that has to be exaggerated or something. Still, even though it's so overwrought, it's kind of adorable, like she's a lost puppy or something. Bizarrely, it occurs to her that Instructor Rean must have a will of steel or something to resist this adorable creature. Man, she really must be exhausted.
"Aww," Musse whines. "And here I was hoping you'd help me steal the crown jewels."
Juna just rolls her eyes.
However, before she can reply she hears the clanging of the church bell marking the hour.
Musse rises from her seat, just as gracefully as when she had sat down.
"Ah," she says. "I suppose I should get a move on. I wanted to have a quick bath before bed. Care to join me?"
Juna shrugs, and then groans as she struggles to climb to her feet.
"Why not?" she answers. "If I can get up the stairs and fetch my stuff."
Musse lifts a single eyebrow.
"Would you like me to run up and fetch a towel for you?" she asks. "Then afterwards I can carry you up to bed."
Juna chuckles, because the other girl is obviously teasing. Could Musse actually carry her upstairs? With the help of her Arcus, probably. However, it would still make for a hilarious sight given the height difference between the two of them.
Although, as she imagines it in her head, the picture of Musse carrying her bridal-style up the stairs, it starts to seem less amusing and more …weird. It's like there's something about the idea that makes her feel a little nervous.
'Because it would be embarrassing!' she thinks.
Yeah, that's true. Having to be carried to bed because she couldn't get upstairs by herself would be downright humiliating.
- - -
Musse actually makes good on her promise the very next day.
The noble girl finds her right after glasses let out, and minutes later the two of them are walking the familiar path from the academy to the town. As they go Juna remembers the first time she had walked into town with Musse like this, back on her very first day here. The lino flowers had been in bloom them, and the blossoms fluttering down all around them had made for a really pretty scene. Of course, the lino trees don't blossom for all that long, and all their petals have long been spent.
Still, the walk back is pretty nice despite that. She didn't really get to see scenery like this back in Crossbell.
"Hey, Musse," Juna says. "Why are we heading into town? Shouldn't we be going to the library or something?"
Musse shakes her head, a gives her a knowing smile. That expression would probably be insufferable if she wasn't so cute.
"I find poetry is better done somewhere more relaxing," she replies. "It's all about expressing you thoughts and feelings, so somewhere where you can better express yourself is more suitable. At least for me. And I noticed that you get pretty uptight in the library."
Juna hums. She wouldn't say she gets uptight, but yeah, libraries are hardly a place she finds relaxing.
Otherwise, she supposes that what Musse said makes sense.
"Don't worry, if you have any questions about rules and structure that's what I'm here for," Musse says.
Which is why the two of them end up at their regular table in Recette only a few minutes later. Juna practically hums as the smell of freshly-baked bread reaches her nose. Back when she'd first come here it had reminded her of Morge's back home, but the two are really quite different. Morge's is just as high-energy as the rest of the city, or as high-energy as a bakery gets anyway, whereas Recette is much more relaxed, making it the perfect place to unwind afterschool.
Of course, any hope of relaxing goes completely out of the window once there's a blank sheet of paper on the table in front of her.
"I suppose we should start by figuring out the structure of your poem," Musse says. "Given that you're a complete novice, I would advise sticking to standard rhyming couplets for now."
Juna nods her head in agreement; she doesn't particularly like be called a novice, but it's completely accurate in this case.
"Right," she replies. "But won't writing something too simple go against me?"
"Possibly," Musse concedes. "But you're not the only person in class who has no previous experience with poetry, so I doubt Principal Le Guin will judge your work too harshly."
Juna releases a breath she didn't even realise she'd been holding.
"Okay," she whispers. "Rhyming couplets. Simple enough."
"Indeed," Musse says. "For now let's just practice the basic form. I suppose the most important thing for you to know is metre."
Juna groans, and sinks into her seat.
"Already busting out the technical terms, huh?" she mutters.
Musse giggles, hiding her mouth behind her hand.
"It's really not that bad," she says. "But for your sake, I'll try to keep it as simple as possible."
Juna has the sneaking suspicion that Musse might be making fun of her when she talks about keeping things "simple", but she chooses not to say anything about it because, well, she can't really deny it. It's not like they taught classes in poetry at the police academy, and she definitely hadn't expected it from a freaking military academy! Well whatever, the point is that it's something she absolutely needs help with, so for now she'll just have to swallow her pride.
To Musse's credit, she does keep the lesson simple, and as a result Juna is able to grasp the concepts fairly easily. Still, even though she understands the principal of lines having the same number of syllables, and keep the emphasis on every other syllable, that doesn't mean she's anywhere close to having a finished poem. It's surprisingly difficult to pick words that make sense together, and fit the rhythm she's established.
It's about an hour into their study session when Liza brings over a tray of sweets that Juna barely remembers ordering, and she smell of them causes her stomach to growl.
"Well, I suppose this is as good a time as any for a break. You've gotten a feel for the technical aspects," Musse says. "All that's needed now is practice, and for you to pick a subject to write about."
A subject, right. She hadn't given any consideration to that yet.
"Hmm, that's gonna be a tough one," she says. "I'm not sure if I've got anything that could go into a poem."
Musse waves her hand, and giggles again.
"Oh, it doesn't have to be anything grandiose," she replies. "As long as it's something you care about. Love is always a popular subject, for example."
Juna can feel the heat seeping into her cheeks at the other girls words. Love? What, she should just like write about someone she likes so that it can be read out in front of the class, exposing her to untold embarrassment? Yeah, no thanks. She doesn't really have anyone she likes right now anyway, no matter what Randy says.
"Is, uh," Juna stutters. "Is that what you plan on writing about?"
Musse sighs dramatically, almost sounding exactly like some blushing maiden from some old-fashioned story.
"Oh, I could write pages and pages of poetry about my burning passion for our valiant Ashen Chevalier," she says.
Juna sighs, and roles her eyes. Of course.
"But I think this time I shall refrain," Musse continues. "Perhaps I shall instead write about you."
For the second time in about thirty seconds Juna can feel her cheeks heating up.
"M– me?" she stutters.
"I heard that you cut quite the dashing figure during the incident in Sutherland," Musse explains. "And it makes such a delightful contrast to the silly girl you can be the rest of the time."
Juna rolls her eyes, certain the Musse is just messing with her. Still, even that knowledge doesn't alleviate the weird feeling in her gut, or the heat in her cheeks. At least, until her mind makes it past the description of her "dashing figure", and absorbs the rest of the other girl's sentence.
"Wait," she says. "What do you mean "the silly girl I am the rest of the time"?"
Musse giggles and taps her chin thoughtfully, a fox-like smile spreading across her lips.
"Well," she begins. "You're quite impulsive, always diving into things head-first, and you speak without thinking. Especially with that hot temper of yours. At the same time you're quite stubborn, and headstrong."
Juna frowns, feeling just the tiniest bit of resentment inside her at Musse's unflattering words. Okay, yeah, she knows she can be a little bit hot-blooded at times, and sometimes she's has a hard time letting things go, but … actually that does sound a little bad now that she thinks about it.
"But I think they're all wonderful traits in their own way," Musse continues.
That catches Juna's attention.
"What?" she asks.
"Well, that impulsive streak of yours means you're not afraid to make a move where others would falter," Musse explains. "And your stubbornness means you hold fast where others would fold. And having grown up amongst the nobility, it's awfully refreshing to hear some say what they actually mean."
Perhaps it's her imagination, a trick of the twilight filtering in through the window, but Juna thinks her smile falters slightly.
"You're an earnest and honest girl," Musse says. "And I think that's admirable."
Oh, well maybe that's not so bad...
"Then there's your sinful smile that makes me weak in the knees," Musse continues. Then she sighs dramatically, and places a hand on her chest.
Suddenly Juna's face feels like it is on fire, and her mind goes completely blank as the other girl's words blows every other thought from her head. For a second she can't even comprehend what Musse just said, and when she does she finds herself completely unable to articulate a response. Her mouth moves, but no sound comes out. Eventually she's able to find her voice, but it's little more than a weak:
"Huh?"
If she hadn't been thrown off so much by Musse's words, she might have found the grin on her face a little too self-satisfied.
"Well, you are a very pretty girl, Juna," she says.
Juna's eyes go wide, and impossibly she feels her cheeks grow even hotter. Suddenly staring at Musse is very difficult, like staring straight into the sun, and she quickly averts her gaze. She finds herself looking down at the table like it's the most fascinating thing she's ever seen; oh look, there's a scratch, she wonder how that happened? Maybe someone dropped their fork or something?
"N– not really," she replies.
She doesn't know why this is so weird, she's had friends comment on her looks before. Then again, she's never had any tell her that she makes them weak at the knees, or describe her smile as "sinful".
"The way you blush is adorable too," Musse continues. "Why, if I were a man I might not be able to hold myself back."
Juna's head snaps back up, and she looks a lot like a startled deer. When she tries to speak her throat feels a little tight, and her voice comes out strained.
"But, um, we're both girls," she says.
Musse raises an eyebrow.
"Oh, would that be a problem?" she asks.
"Well... Um, I mean," Juna stutters. "It's just not … how things usually go?"
Right? It's usually a man and woman, yeah? Not that there's anything wrong with people who don't do it that way, or anything!
She can't even imagine what her parents would say if she'd brought a girl home, especially when her mum keeps talking about boyfriends. It's not like she thinks her parents would throw her out or anything, but she bets it would definitely throw both of them for a loop. Although, she doesn't think her family even knows anyone who's that way inclined, so she doesn't really know what her parents would think about it.
"Her ruby lips upon so fair a face, tempt even the purest maiden to sin,"
Juna actually squeaks, and she feels a sort of nervous tension that causes her to sit ramrod straight in her seat.
"W– what are you doing?!" she asks.
Musse makes a noise that's halfway between a hum and a chuckle, and taps her chin thoughtfully.
"Why, composing the beginning of my poem, of course," she replies.
That only makes her more nervous, considering Musse just said she was considering writing a poem about her. And what exactly does she mean about lips that tempt maidens to sin?! Besides, her lips aren't that red...
Despite the fact that the evening's drawing in, it's starting to feel a little too warm in here.
She's just messing with her right?
"Y'know what?" Juna says. "Why don't we call it here for today?"
"Oh, are you sure?" Musse asks.
Juna nods her head a little to enthusiastically.
"Yeah," she says. "I just, um, I don't think I'm in the right head space for it right now. I'll think about what I want the subject for the poem to be, and we can discuss it next time."
Musse taps her finger against her chin again, although the smile on her lips is more cheeky than thoughtful, and her eyes shine with mischief.
"Very well," she says. "I admit, I am eager to see what you come up with by yourself."
Juna gives her the best smile she can manage.
"Right!" she says.
Unfortunately, it turns out not to be that easy.
After dinner Juna gets changed into her pyjamas, but rather than getting into bed she sits herself down at her desk. She has her notebook open in front of her, her pen held lightly in her hand. The silence of the dormitory, combined with the warm glow of the lamp makes for a rather cosy atmosphere. Maybe it'll get her creative juices flowing?
Whilst she doesn't expected to complete the assignment tonight, she'd thought she could at least make a start on it. If nothing else she can jot down a list of ideas, the things she cares enough for to write a poem about them.
Top of the list is Crossbell, of course, she could write an entire book about what makes her home so special; but whilst she's sure that's what she'll end up writing about, she does want to come up with a couple of back-up ideas, just in case. It'll show she put the work in, if nothing else.
Unfortunately...
Her lovely lavender eyes, and skin like porcelain...
Juna groans, and bangs her head against the table.
Every time she tries to think about what to write, it comes back to the same thing. Musse. She keeps recalling the way the girl from Class Nine had looked when they'd been sitting in Recette; the mischievous smile on her lips, and the way her eyes had shone like she knew something no-one else did. And, well … Musse is very pretty, she'd have to be blind to miss that; but somehow even just acknowledging how pretty she is makes her chest feel strangely heavy.
She groans again. This is all Musse's fault, for putting weird thoughts in her head.
"Juna?"
The girl in question raises her head of the desk, and shifts in her seat to look behind her. Where she finds Altina sitting on the edge of her bed, looking right at her.
"Oh, sorry Allie," she says. "Did I wake you up?"
"Yes," she replies, without hesitation.
Ouch, absolutely no attempt to sugar coat it, huh? Well, she guesses that's just how Allie is, and she can't blame her if she's grouchy after being woken up like that.
"Is something the matter?" Altina asks.
Juna shakes her head, and sighs.
"No," she replies. "Just stressing over this assignment for Principal Le Guin's class."
"The poem?"
"Yeah."
"Unfortunately, I do not know much about poetry," Altina says. "So I'm afraid I can not be of much help."
Juna gives her room-mate a soft smile, and shakes her head again. To her credit, Altina actually sounds sorry that she is unable to help.
"Don't worry about it," she says. "I was just about to wrap it up for the night anyway. I'll hit the library tomorrow, see if I can dig up any more books on poetry."
Altina nods stiffly, clearly trying to stifle a yawn.
"Yes," she replies. "Additional research could be beneficial."
"Come on," Juna says. "Let's get to bed. We've got class in the morning.
She just hopes she doesn't dream about the weird stuff Musse put in her head too.