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Ayers shrugged again. "Eh, they had it coming." He tilted his head. "Is that not, like, satisfying though? Like, way I see it, folks did some bad shit to y'all, and basically err'one hwut had any involvement wuz complicit. Right?"

Caves

Imuka shakes her head no, "I get no satisfaction from it, only pain, not all of them were horrible people some of them were fairly nice to me, my mechanics teacher for instance... And even if.... even if I could look past that.... isn't taking satisfaction from there deaths letting them win? They still get what they wanted then.... a living weapon.... even if she is no longer under there control" the fox explained.... looking a bit remorseful.

"Is that hwut they wanted, though?" Ayers asked. "And even if'n they wuz nice, they dint never try to, like, git y'all out. Like, the folks there wanted a weapon they could control, and they fucked up. Y'all're hwut happens when bad folks try to control someone too strong fer 'em." His face flattened out and Ayers rubbed his eyes. "And, uh, lemme try another perspective: When folks under pressure can't take it no more, they flip they shit. F'rinstance, The White Fang. Ain't nobody saying them riots weren't important fer Faunus rights. Rebellions, too, right? I ain't too on the up'n'up on, like History, right, but there ain't no country out there that weren't founded on violence. Those that're on the wrong side, that did gud stuff fer someone, they wuz still on the wrong side, and cuz they wuz they's guilty, right?"

"....Because this is my fault. Look at me causing harm just by existing." replied Alexia, her voice just as hollow as Hope's. Then, she laughed. But this wasn't like her real laugh. It wasn't innocent, or happy, or awkward, or honest.

...It was harsh, bitter, and almost sounded insane.

She looked at Francesca. "...I want to train with you, Lady Francesca. I need to be stronger. Stong enough to not be completely incompetent."

Caves, Where ever Francesca is

Belle had packed up her tools and prototypes as well as some clothes. She wasn't able to focus on work anymore for now. She headed over to Francesca with one thing in her mind. She wasn't about to let the Arcana hurt Imca like that again. And to do that she had to be stronger.

"Hello Miss Francesca, you're training students right? I want in." Belle said a grim determination burning in her eyes.

"I-I guess you are right...." Imuka said still a bit reluctant to accept this, and unsure what to make of it, she sat down against the wall trying to process all of this, and she sighed.

"B-But it does not help much with right now.... what do I do right now.... after.... after what Arcana has done to those people, what they did to our friends... I-I don't know if they can be saved... they.... they just pose more harm to others being alive... and they just work there way out of captivity.... to harm people more... I want to end them... to protect others... but... at the same time...." She was obviously having trouble trying to word this crisis of faith, her previously unwavering pacifism being heavily shaken by the events today. "T-That is why know what I should to...."

edited 8th Jan '15 10:35:49 PM by Imca

"Well, way I see it..." Ayers shrugged. "They's gonna git the death penalty fer hwut they done anyway, we's just speeding the process up. So, we kill'em." Ayers clenched a fist. "Most likely in ways whut aren't, like, fitting, or dramatic, or ironic, 'r whutever." He wrapped an arm around Imuka in a rough hug. "But I git it. Removing the context of all the shit they done, yeah, we are doing the same thing as them. Thing is, y'all gotta see whut kinda setting yer actions'r in. In yer case, these terr'rists done killed so many people that yeah, we gonna snuff 'em out."

Imuka nodded once more, tearing up a bit. "Leaving them would just allow them to kill more people wouldn't it.... W-We save more lives.... we keep more people alive this way.... then by allowing them to live?"

"Y'all see a better way to do it?" Ayers drawled out grimly. He let go of Imuka and leaned against a stalactite. "Cuz this's the kinda world we live in."

Caves

"Don't — don't laugh like that again. It doesn't suit you," said Ai. "And stop trying to claim responsibility for everything, seriously. Look at the harm we caused by making Arcana our enemies. They picked you as our figurehead because you're important, but it's probably because of that mall incident. We should all bear equal responsibility for that."

She threw her arms around Lexi and feigned cheerfulness.

"Right. Let's be training buddies, then!" she said.

That doesn't sound forced at all, she thought to herself.

"You gonna join us, Charisse? Or you think you're too good to get a little more whipped into shape?"

edited 8th Jan '15 11:03:30 PM by opnerf

Imuka sat there.... for several minutes, kinda not moving or doing much of any thing after that question before grimly shaking her head no.

"Hey." Yun softly replied, settling himself into the seat beside Sophie. He stared up at the monitors for a few seconds before he turned to Sophie and began to talk.

"Sophie...remember the time when you asked me to help you find the Scroll Khayla rigged?"

The main screen switched to a Fantasy RPG game, showing the Protagonist asking a companion to join the party. the companion replied with a familiar smile: Sure, I'm happy to help you on your quest.

"Back then, I promised to help you however I could..."

The screen flickered, now showing a cutscene from a different point of the game- an escort mission if Yun remembered correctly. Yun noticed that the genders of the protagonist and companion were switched in this game. Onscreen, the protagonist was assuring his charge that she would be safe: Have hope. I promise you that I'll do all I can to get you there safely.

"...and that hasn't changed. I know things are different now. We're up against the Arcana, a far bigger threat compared to Blackmail..."

Another screen flickered, showing a demonic boss preparing to do battle with a party of 4 in a cave. Yun noted that the Boss' level was far greater than those of the party members.

"...But I still want to help however I can. This isn't the end of the road, Sophie. We can still grow strong enough to beat them. And Like I said earlier, we don't have to do this alone. We have the Beacon facility, our classmates... "

The screen now showed the female protagonist and her companion at a guild selecting missions to gain exp.

''...And we've got each other. So...Sophie, will you join my party and go on a quest to help defeat the Arcana?" Yun finished.

edited 9th Jan '15 6:14:35 PM by svenorzokarkoff

"So we do the best we can." Ayers hugged Imuka close again, as well as his arms could. "I, uh, I ain't to gud at this." He let go of the girl and stared into the middle distance. "Like... like, literally hugging, and this whole feelings stuff. Sorry."

Sophie stopped playing, and all the games stopped. She turned to Yun. Her blanket slid off her, revealing that where her right leg would be, there was nothing. She smiled at Yun, gazing at him. She held his cheeks in her hands, and started to cry before kissing him.

And then they woke up.

"I-It is fine, it the thought that matters you know... t-that you care at all.... that is what matters." ,Imuka tells Ayers as she stands back up, clearing the tears from her eyes.

"S-Shall we head back?"

Training Sign-ups

Ieria nodded her head at her Mother's words, as well as all the hopefuls.

Francesca however, continued to stare up at the ceiling, as if lost in thought. Not my father...not my father... she thought to herself over and over again. Just a man, using his name, his face, and his voice...and his power...but he is NOT my father...

"Alright, I'll train you, all of you." She said, eyeing them all in turn. "Any others who want to join your classmates, may simply say so and it will be done."

"Yeah." Ayers said, smiling warmly. "Y'all—y'all git me. Thanks." He kept a hand on Imuka's shoulder all the way back.

Alexia shrugged off Ai's arms and distanced herself. Don't. I'm the cause of all this, so why-?

"....Ai. Please don't try to spare my feelings. You and I both know that I was definitely the target here."

"...I'm going to go help the injured." Without another word, she walked off.

Minutes later, she was carrying a painkiller and a fresh bunfle of banfages to the injured. She didn't speak to them. Next, she went looking for her sister.

She found Alice sitting with her hands covering her face, crying. Silently, Alexia walked up to her and embraced her.

...why are you doing this to yourself? To the others? Can't you see this fucking hurts everybody?

...why are you so selfish? Why are you a fucking martyr, Alexia? Why do you insist on suffering for others?!

Answer me this, Alexia. Don't you dare walk away.

...and you did.

Hope wanted to scream, to shout at that stubborn blonde that she cherished so much. To punch her right in the face, seeing as no words seemed to ever get to her. She both hated and loved her, and both these feelings tore each other apart like rabid dogs, scrambling her thoughts eve more.

Yet her face didn't show this at all. Her eyes were dull, without the dim shine that usually nested therein. The grasp on her wheelchair grew that much more powerful, the veins on the arms seemingly threatening to pop right away.

And then she wheeled outside in absolute silence. Anyone paying attention would likely hear quiet sobbing just outside the door. She haven't wheeled too far away, being too tired and too resigned to just go to whatever lonely place came to mind.

There were footsteps nearby followed by a quiet thump against the wall near Hope.

"So..." Medus whispered, making a conscientious effort not to yell at people. "You seem to be taking this a lot harder than most of us are. Not that I don't appreciate the concern, but it leads me to believe there may be something more going on. Feel like sharing with the class?" The rocker adjusted his lean on the wall to get more comfortable.

Wiping her tears, Hope's expression took on a grim scowl when she heard Medus. "I'm surprised this isn't public knowledge already." She quietly spoke, trying her best to compose herself and, for once, failing to do that. "You can ask Ayers or Ai if you really want to pry. I'm... not in a mood to talk about this right now."

Medus shrugged. "Pry? Nah. I'm just here offering the ear I have left. Had to get out of their. I mean I love Ire and all but honestly her hovering over me like I was the only one injured when I was literally the least injured person out of this whole attack...Puts my nerves on edge ya' know?"

The minutes passed as Alexia sat with her sister in silence. How long was it? Didn't matter.

...Finally, Alice spoke. "What kind of older sister am I? Letting you blame yourself."

"Alice...what?"

Alice clapsed her hand. "Don't do this to yourself. It will eat you from the insife until you just give up and die. I know the feeling, believe me I do. But...you know I don't blame you, right? No one does! So promise me...don't blame yourself."

Alice's words pained Alexia even more. Her sister...Unfortunately, she had found a different answer. Strength. Stronger. To get stronger, to protect everyone....She had to hold on to this drive, this pain.

"I promise."

I'm lying. My first lie. I hope this is worth it.

Alice smiled and she almost broke. Excusing herself, she went off to find Hope.

Surely, a goodbye would be alright?

She found her best friend. She walked up to her. She embraced her. Kissed her forehead. She cried. Her last tears.

"...Hope. I'm so sorry."

For what I'm about to do.

Then, she turned to leave.

...Time to find Pius.

One last goodbye.

"She's worried sick about you. Music is a big thing in your life, isn't it, Medus?" Hope sighed before staring off at the distance. "But I see what you mean... I just..."

I'm gonna just break down and sob the whole story out.

"I'm just... sick of this. Of Alexia acting the way she is. Always the first to take the blame for everything, even when it was something she had absolutely no control over. Like this fucking Arcana video that I insisted on showing to everyone, thinking that we can get something out of it. Boy, sure we did, didn't we?" Hope's chuckle was humorless, dry as a desert. "She took the blame for that, too."

"...would you imagine I was confessing to her just yesterday? Back then I thought that her crying over the fact she can't agree to that and me trying to cope with that rejection was terrible... and she took the blame for that as well, despite me going out an extra mile to even do this."

"It happened at the mall, too. Back when everyone was breaking down she was one of the few to keep her head on her shoulders. She snapped me out of my own rage. She still insisted it's because she's so weak that all this happened..." Another chuckle, but this time it made it only halfway before Hope choked on her own tears, hitting the frame of the wheelchair in frustration. "She's a martyr, Medus. Someone who I both love and hate with all my passion. Who I want to smile, to laugh... not to wail and kill herself that way."

Then however, she came. Before Hope could say something, she got both embraced and kissed. "Stop apologizing me, Alexia..." She spoke, not looking at her. She didn't want to cry. It was the least she could do to cheer her up, she thought. "Stop doing this to yourself." Then she left as soon as she came.

...don't leave me.

edited 9th Jan '15 1:58:50 AM by FergardStratoavis

Medus nodded. "Yeah that sounds about right, stubborn and stupid. Just like her older sister. Maybe it's genetic." The rocker shrugged. "Look I can't say for sure when but eventually something will happen to snap her out of it, and when that happens she'll need people who care about her to make sure that she's alright afterwards." The rocker continued to look after the retreating princess. "Oh look there she goes about to do something stupid I'm sure."

He opened up his scroll. "Yo, Alice your sister is about to do something you would do, please stop her before she hurts herself."

edited 9th Jan '15 2:00:10 AM by guyshane