[Chapter 1.02] The gRAVIty of the Situation

[Envious]

Character Name: Farrah Tinkerspan
Date | Time: 10.18.1322 | afternoon
Location: Hammer Academy - The Wilds
Wearing: As pictured
Tagging | Mentioning: Meena, Shir | Gravity
Notes:

Things were happening so fast! She was sure that Meena and Vesper had freed a chime since her attention was focused there, but there was nothing for her to worry about - Meena was already into her dive! Farrah kept her eye on the last prize. Adrenaline was surging through as Lyra told her to back away. She couldn't! Not with Shir wrapped up in her chain. Any attempt to move might mess up the coordinated attempt to get those chimes.

And then she felt the hair on her arms start to rise as the charge in the air shifted. She knew this. It was an element she was strong in. It was a field she had walked through to rescue Mila. It was not something she was keen to experience again and there was a wild urge to retreat immediately.

No pain, no gain.

She prayed it was worth it and as she braced for the jolt she pulled for the chime. The flash was blinding, but she didn't look away as the prize soared through the bolt of lightning that rained down and scattered upon the group. She grit her teeth and grunted through the pain and when the chime reached her hand, all irritation of Lyra's careless assault fled from her.

That look of realization on Shir's face sent a wild mix of emotions through her that threatened to overwhelm. His admission of their success pulled a weight from her as she looked to Meena who was already scrambling for Lolo.

"Yes!" she screamed, fist pumping up in the air in triumph. The win made her feel giddy and she grinned wildly at everyone as that gnawing hunger in her gut subsided. After so many hard days it was nice to feel success. She trailed behind her partner with a hop to her step as Shir corralled everyone closer. The elf pulled out the chime she had tucked away and held both trophies in her hand as she watched her partner fuss over Lolo.

All of that victorious warmth cooled fairly quickly as Shir reminded them of the rules and Meena broke down. "Disqualified?" she questioned quietly. "Fer..." Meena was still babbling, but Farrah had a vacant expression as her smooth brain struggled to comprehend the noise.

"No." She snapped her head to Meena, horrified at her claim. "Ya most certainly will take a chime! Get yer head checked, woman, cause you ain't speakin' sense!" She looked at gRAVIty and their expressions. Her sixth sense didn't just tingle - her gut twisted in sick dread.

"Stop this nonsense right now. You givin' up on yer dream over this scuffle?" Chimes in her fist, Farrah shook it towards Meena as if to hammer her words in. "You want this! You been chasin' this. How can you not-"

She spun on her heel, switching her target mid-sentence.

"-care!?" she shouted at Shir's back. "You supposed to be somethin' to us 'n you just gunna let this happen? Cause you couldn't be bothered to care? What's two more, right? You really don't care? Why you the mentor? Why you even here?" This was different from her earlier taunting. That had been all part of the mask of Champion Farrah Tinkerspan. This was raw emotion. Anger she didn't know how to direct, so she latched on to Shir.

"Don't you dare give up, Meena. You earned that chime." She had always expected that they'd need to argue who got the chime. She hadn't expected that anyone would give it up. What an absurd thought!

[shengami]

Character Name: Haimehen
Date Oct. 18 | Time: Afternoon (~10 a.m.)|
Location: Hammer Academy - The Wilds | Grassland - Fire Resonance
Wearing: Outfit, orange cap, cast w/walking boot, bandolier of cartridges, Feu and Fureur, heavy boot on healthy foot
Tagging: 'everyone' | Mentioning: |
Haim stood huffing and shaking his head. His eyes hurt, pulsed. He blinked the light away slowly. Lightning was not his element. He hadn't been close enough to be in the area of effect, thankfully, but the sudden brilliant light stabbing at his eyes was overwhelming. And the jagged, powerful sound was thumping inside his skull still. Something in the combination of sound and lightning, something about thunder scrambled him. He sighed and blinked again slowly as the vision slowly returned.

He looked to where the group was gathered. It took him time to piece together what had happened. He hadn't heard Shir's words but he'd seen the man talking. Slowly, he figured it out. Lolo had been disqualified. Because she had been hurt and removed from the fight, she could not claim a chime. Or was it that she had sacrificed momentum to aid a comrade? He frowned. By that logic, Haim should also be disqualified. He'd used several moments where he could attack to support his team? Did Shir deemphasize support types like him and Lyra? He frowned as his brain tried to work through it. Then he gave up. The logic wasn't important. What was happening now was important.

Farrah was upset and that made sense.

Whatever Meena had given him was still in effect, but he felt the pressure in his foot. Something in that last charge had not been good for it. He'd need to go to the hospital. Still, he hobbled up behind the tall, muscular elf and put a hand on her arm, "We all earned it, Farrah. Not a single chime would have been claimed if not for the combined efforts of everyone here. That you and Meena happened to be the ones who made use of the opening shouldn't matter. It's like saying the soldier who dropped the bomb killed the people and not taking into account all the decisions that went ahead of the act. Sure, he had the lion's share, but not all of it." He smiled. He was trying to say that he was proud of them for their parts.

He shifted his gaze to Shir. He blinked and regarded the man for a moment and then turned to regard Meena. He then patted Farrah's strong arm and added, "And we all care, Farrah. Most of us have intensely personal reason to be here. Reasons we would not give up on unless we cared about one another more. Which seems funny given that I haven't even known you guys for a month yet. And I wasn't planning to take one either. Not from the first moves." He looked at Shir again and thought about expressing his belief that it was all a ruse. But it might not be either. He bit his tongue and sighed. Or voice the more nagging thought that Hammer was exactly what his father had always claimed it to be, a waste of resources. But he didn't quite believe that either. He looked to Lolo and wondered if his reasons were noble enough. He doubted it.

His brain whirred and calculated paths forward. But he ended up sweeping it all away and let his hand fall to his side. He twisted his mouth and shrugged, "Meena can take or leave her chimes. Anyone can take or leave them. Each of you should do what you think right. But, I won't abandon Lolo. Or any of you. If some of us move forward in Hammer, you can call me. If I am one of them, I'll support you. And if any end up leaving, I'll help as I can. You're my friends. I want to find Mila. I want to talk to Namid again. I want to get to know Meena and Vesper more. I've walked away and lost too much." He ran out of steam and shrugged.

But he damn well knew one thing, "But I know one thing I won't do. I won't be tied to a tree. I can't stop Shir if he forces it. He's proven that he is far beyond us. But I won't submit to it either. If this means that I am no longer a part of Hammer, then I'll leave now." He glanced over at Lindon and smirked. If not taking a chime meant he was done, then he was done. But he thought there were still a couple more moves left.

[Intimate Ink]

Character Name: Vesper Cabello
Date | Time: October 18th, Late Morning (~10am)
Location: Hammer Academy - The Wilds | Grassland - Air Resonance
Wearing: Leather armor, supply sack, signature weapon
Tagging: Lolo, Meena, Shir, Everyone | Mentioning: Kato

Meena’s fortuitous interference of Vesper’s arrows was not lost on him, though between their physical distance and the rapid escalation of battle he could do little but make a mental note to speak with her later about it. Perhaps there were even greater possibilities there. More chimes fell free in a situation that he still was not overly certain of given the thoughts that he had voiced at the start; still, victory over the situation felt good, even if Vesper couldn’t fully articulate what ‘the situation’ was.

That was until Shir had disqualified Lolo and the talk between teammates began. Tightening his jaw for a moment, Vesper listened, weathering the competing thoughts that rustled through his body and caused a subsequent shiver in his spine. He glanced over to Meena, nodding, ”Meena’s been given the option of handing chimes out. She hasn’t. I have no intention of making a grand speech about refusing nor accepting what isn’t offered.”

”… I’ll say this, though.” Vesper directed his amber gaze at Shir, keeping his eyes steady with a hint of confrontation that he had not shown yet at the Academy. ”Some have implied your intention is mainly to antagonize with this talk… I really don’t know you enough to say.”

Vesper cocked his head towards Lolo, ”I do know that out of everyone here, though, today you have disqualified the one that I would most want watching my back on the battlefield based on today’s performance. I know it is someone who also took your lesson to heart…,” Vesper lowered his voice, parroting Shir’s call as he headed to devastate the back line…. again, ”How many times do I have to teach you the same lesson…”

Vesper shook his head. ”I’m not pleading against a decision that’s already been made here. It’s done, the line is drawn. I am only saying that while I have no expectations to be listened to, I won’t be silent about my belief that removing those who are dedicated to protecting others and elevating their team is poor judgement …”

Vesper turned his attention back to his team, continuing with a broken swallow in face of the situation. ”I confess that I don’t like this. I don’t like seeing any of you making a choice between dedicating yourself to protect the land and people, and destroying the bonds that will make your call to service most effective. Toil needs champions… not to give glory to, but to protect it. Toil also needs those champions alive, though and dedicated towards service, though…. That mean’s not fighting each other, and not being scared to risk themselves when the situation calls for it.” Vesper found his breath caught in his throat for a moment, memories of Kato’s alleged AWOL tearing into his resolve. ”There should be no easy choice here, because the people of Toil need you, and yet you need a functioning team. Turning our back on either should never be easy… People could be hurt either way here. It’s unfortunate that it feels like one or the other here, but I trust everyone will find their way.”

With the slightest stumble to his feet, as if parrying the thoughts away, he turned his attention to Lolo. He focused his attention to her with a cock of a head and forced smile. ”As for me, it would be my great honor to be tied beside such an invaluable warrior in battle who fought hard, sought to learn from instruction, and put her well-being and success on the line for the benefit of her teammate and others. After what I have seen, being placed next to her in any context is certainly an elevation.”

[FyreFoxx]

Character Name: Lyreilynn "Lyra" Xyrven Myalis
Date | Time: October 18th | Late Morning  (~10am)
Location: Hammer Academy - The Wilds
Wearing: Light blue wrap blouse, dark blue skirt, light blue belted sash, low-heeled laced boots
Tagging | Mentioning: All | Mareika (sister)
There was a momentary lapse of judgement on her part and a fleeting look of fear crossing her features as that lightning bolt missed its mark and hit the ground. The very wet ground that the three girls were all still standing on. Even backing away, like she called out, wasn’t going to stop the feeling of tickling electricity coursing through them. Lyra ended up biting down on her tongue this time, sparing her bottom lip a second assault, the taste of copper in her mouth again as she dropped the sphere she held.

She had missed Shir completely. In her hurry to finish the test and in the rush of complicated feelings and emotions from being taunted about her brother and her status at the academy, of making mistakes, of being protected, she had made the biggest mistake of all. Lyra had completely misjudged the situation and over-zealously used a stronger spell than needed on a target that was nimble and agile. She had underestimated their mentor’s skill in dodging and he’d gotten out of the way in time, only for her to end up zapping herself and her teammates due to the water cause by the melting ice spikes littering the field and the impromptu rain shower Meena had caused earlier acting as a conductor. Even if the initial bolt did act as a barrier to prevent Shir from reclaiming the chimes that Farrah was able to yank away, it did not diminish the fact that Lyra had unintentionally caused harm to her teammates.

Again.

Once more she had been the cause of something going awry with Gravity. Once more it was her own actions that caused a rift to form between them. Her actions had harmed Meena and Farrah. It had blinded Haimehen, even if she didn’t actually know that at that point. Hell, she had shocked herself, although she was willing to accept that outcome, since it was a result of her own actions. She never seemed to care about putting herself in harm’s way, only putting others in danger. She had always hated relying on other people, being in their debt, or having something happen on account of her own actions, meaning she was responsible for them. If she only had to worry about herself, then whatever happened to her was fine, but adding in other people? That’s where things got confusing, and Lyra was still learning that lesson, the hard way.

While not as devastating as the sonic bomb earlier, getting hit with the residual effects of her moderate lightning spell was still not pleasant. Perhaps she should have gone with a weaker version or calculated his actions more thoroughly. There were any number of things she could have done differently in that scenario but instead, she acted recklessly and in haste. Had this been a real fight, she wouldn’t have taken out an opponent, but the entire team, leaving them all vulnerable. Grimacing as she ran the numbers in her head, Lyra reached down to retrieve her sphere she had dropped after Shir called an end to their test. Folding it back up into its dormant singular circle shape, the elf slipped the bracelet back over her wrist, looking towards where Lolo and Linden were at.

Her feet were moving before her brain began to catch up, stumbling at first as she shook off the effects from the lightning. Her head was still foggy from the sonic attack and her hearing still hadn’t returned to normal yet, but that was all pushed aside in favor of reaching her partner that much faster. Sluggish steps brought her past the food basket, where her little mini ice dome was still set up. She lightly trailed her fingers over the icy surface as she went past, creating cracks and letting the chunks fall away from the basket underneath, leaving it intact and unaffected by the ice any longer.

She kept going, never stopping until she reached Marlowe’s side, where she threw her arms around her partner, burying her face against the taller woman’s shoulder. “Stultus,” she said softly, her voice muffled against Marlowe. Lyra pulled away long enough to give her another once over, inspecting for any new injuries she might not have noticed earlier. Once Meena arrived, the elf reluctantly stepped back, letting the giant Silenus take over administering medical treatment.

Instead, that silver gaze moved towards their mentor. He was listing off the names of those who failed his test – hers included. She positioned herself in front of Shir, preventing him from walking away from their group by standing in his path. He could, of course, sidestep her with ease, but at least it would delay him enough for her and the others to get some words in. “What do you mean that Lolo failed? Or that we failed? You never once said that to pass, we had to individually get a chime from you. You only said that ‘we’ had to take them from you.” She emphasized the ‘we’ to mean them as a whole, the entire Gravity team, adding in a slight wave of her hand towards the others.

Meena was already trying to get Lolo to take one of the chimes from her, but the smokey woman was refusing the offer. Farrah was insistent that Meena keep at least one chime for herself after the Silenus claimed she wouldn’t take any at all if Lolo was going to refuse. Even Vesper was offering up his decision not to accept or deny a chime. Haimehen, too, was giving up. Lyra pursed her lips, letting her gaze travel over each of her teammates in turn as they spoke up, then moved back to Shir. Farrah seemed to be the only person who was adamant about keeping the chimes, while the others either didn’t care or gave up their chance. She didn’t like Marlowe losing on a technicality, either. She had protected Lyra and put herself out of the fight.

Clenching her hands into fists at her side, her skirt muddy from the fight, bunched in-between her fingers, Lyra looked down at the ground near her feet. Was it wrong to want one of the chimes for herself? How much had she really contributed to the fight? She had missed her initial freezing attempt. She had failed to do much of anything with the ice spikes, except maybe graze Shir, but they had been more hinderance than anything else for her team, it seemed. He dodged every icicle thrown at him with ease. And even the lightning attack, while it did prevent him from recovering the last chime that Farrah snatched, she had unintentionally zapped her teammates, and there was no guarantee that the giant elf couldn’t have gotten the chime another way that didn’t involve her.

She wanted to stay at Hammer, as far away from Unovia as she could manage. Far from her mother’s grasp on her. She needed to stay here and find her own path to walk. Getting expelled from Hammer for this failure was unacceptable. Disappointing. But watching the others get expelled because of her was even worse. She couldn’t bring herself to voice that opinion, either. It would make her look extremely selfish and she knew her team already had a pretty low opinion of her.

She hadn’t spent any real time with Meena since her arrival, other than a short discussion about the plants she brought when she first arrived. Farrah was still salty about things, as shown by their shouting earlier. Vesper and her did have a day together discussing their Shimmer and their induction into a special group, but there was little common ground otherwise. Haimehen still confused the hell out of her. She couldn’t tell if she hated him or was simply confused by him for his actions the other night. Did he still hate her? Or was it something else now? They hadn’t spoken about it since then. And then there was Marlowe, who had always had her back since day one. She might have been the only person truly on her side and her decision, but it was at the cost of Marlowe losing her spot, one that Lyra thought she genuinely deserved. Like Vesper had said, Marlowe needed champions like her who cared. Not selfish ones like Lyra.

She bit her lip, still sore from earlier when she bit hard enough to draw blood. That taste of copper never seemed to leave her mouth, but it was too unladylike to spit it out. What if there was another way? Four chimes, six people. Shir was not budging on his stance about technicalities. Lyra offered up a few suggestions, such as breaking a chime in half, since he never said it had to be an intact whole chime, or replicating one with her ice. Every idea she came up with to increase the number of chimes for the group was shot down just as quickly, apparently to the irritation of their mentor but perhaps amusement of his companion.

Lyra looked at Marlowe again, sadness creeping into her features. She didn’t want to stay at the academy if it meant someone like Marlowe had to be sent home. She could find her path somewhere else if she had to. Another academy, perhaps. Mareika didn’t like being in Sinnat, the cold weather climate not agreeing with her older sister. Maybe she could convince her family to let her take Mareika’s place at Equinox. Or maybe she could become a researcher somewhere, or a scholar, or any number of things that didn’t involve becoming a champion. Unlike most of the others in Gravity, Lyra’s family had connections she could use. Sure, her mother was very adamant about her becoming a champion, like most members of Myalis, but it was not her only option if push came to shove.

Frowning, Lyra looked lost for words, which was rather unusual for her in times where plans were needed. She always had something to say, a strategy in the works. This was her element, trying to come up with ways to succeed and push through, to move forward despite the path ahead being rough. She was no stranger to hardships, but this… this had been against them from the very start. Shir was adamant on finding fault with them somehow.

“No…” she finally said, lifting her gaze back up to Shir. “You cannot fail us. You said to get the chimes, not how. You left that up to us. Nor that only supporting would cause us to fail. We all participated. You intentionally left things out. You wanted to drive us apart by offering only four chimes for six people. You told us to skip meals and then you arrived far past the meeting time. You wanted us to starve and make rash decisions. And we did. We fought each other. We made bad choices. We struggled. From the start, you never intended for any of us to pass, did you? You wanted to see us fight each other, not you. You wanted to cause Gravity to fall apart so you did not have to play mentor anymore. From the day we arrived, you have barely been present. Every time you got involved and gave us ‘hints’ for an upcoming class, something went wrong.” Although she didn’t state it outright, this time she was referring to Dazzle & Dust, where they eventually made their way to that shop after being told by Shir to go get arcanite for a class, a decision that ultimately ended in disaster when the Jackals showed up. And even this test of his, he told them to skip dinner and breakfast, causing them to be severely hungry by the time he deigned to present himself, which in turn caused issues amongst the team at large.

“Besides, do you even have the authority to dismiss us? Is that not the responsibility of the headmaster? Was the dismissal of students even real?” Lyra was voicing the concerns of her teammates, not even flinching from the angry gaze she knew Shir would be directing at her. She might look meek and frail, and she certainly shied away from most confrontations, but it was times like these that she showed the backbone of a noble standing up to someone. “Sixteen would-be champions from forty-eight squires. Four successes from six members. None of these numbers add up. We have had barely one month of study, and most of that time, you were absent. Do not think we have not noticed how other mentors spend time with their squads while you have not. Sixty-six percent chance of failure? No, it is either zero or one hundred.”

Lyra looked at Marlowe with a ghost of a smile on her lips, then eyed each of her teammates in turn. Marlowe wasn’t allowed to take a chime. Meena was giving up. Vesper was giving up, too. Lyra was determined to give up one as well if Marlowe couldn’t take one. Farrah was an outlier, as was Haimehen. Either of the other elves may opt to take a chime and render her next words pointless, but she had to try. “We either all pass or we all fail.” Then she looked back at Shir. “You either remain as our mentor or you get your freedom. Gravity will not fall because of you.”

[Crash]

Character Name: Meena Tor
Date | Time: 10.18.1322 | Late Morning
Location: Hammer Academy - The Wilds | Grassland – This post is still in Air Resonance (Next will be in Fire)
Wearing: Green camo cargo pants, black long-sleeved synthetic weave zip-up over a black crop top and puffy black vest with snap on fur trimmed hood and hidden pockets, and Black combat boots
Tagging | Mentioning: Shir, Lindon, Gravity
Meena gave a sigh of relief as, one by one, the others voiced similar feelings, but she felt Vesper might have voiced her own feelings better than she could at the moment. Her relief was short-lived, however, as Farrah snapped at her, ordering her to take a chime. Accusing her of not caring.

Now, that made her angry.

Care had been etched on Meena's face. The idea that any of her team would be kicked out of Hammer twisted in her heart like a knife. Farrah was right about one thing. She had chased this dream. Chased it halfway around the world. How could she dare think she didn't care!

Meena quietly stood while Farrah turned her back on her to yell at Shir, her face tear-stricken. Cloudy with conflicting emotions. Why couldn't Farrah see it? Did she still see this as some sort of glorified competition?

Meena looked down at the chime in her hand. The chime she had tried to give to Lolo. With one quick motion, she threw it at Farrah. Bouncing it off her stubborn coconut. It certainly didn't hurt the surly elf, but it would get her attention.

"I'm not giving up," the towering Silenus said, pointing at Farrah with one finger. Tail swishing in annoyance. "I'm taking a stand. This…” Meena gestured wildly around them. "This is O.S. Complete O.S! I know it…" she pointed at herself. "They know it," Meena pointed at the others. "Why don't you?" Meena wasn't quite yelling, but her town was frustrated and angry.

"Lolo protected her partner. More than just her partner, her team. She doesn't deserve to be kicked out. Are you telling me that you wouldn't have protected me if I had been in danger? Because I don't believe that. Not for one second. You have my back, and I have yours," Meena stated with a stomp of her feet and a whip-swish of her tail. "So back me on this."

Meena tried to make her understand. For all of Farrah's talk of not leaving her partner. To always stick together. It wasn't Meena that was pulling away. It was Farrah. 

"This isn't a stupid game to just win. It is more than that. We…” Meena gestured at Gravity. "We are more than that," Meena said and stepped close to Farrah. Her anger was spent. Her tone was soft. "You…" Meena pointed again at Farrah. "You...are more.”

“Stand with me. Have my back. You know this is right."

Meena reached down, plucked the chime she had rattled off Farrah's skull from the ground, and placed it in her hand with the other chime she retrieved. Looking down at the chime, she shook her head. Whisps of hair fluttered about her face. Taking Farrah's hand as she had done Lolo's only minutes before, she placed her two chimes in Farrah's palm and closed it.

"Now you have all the chimes. You can pick whoever you want to stay or stand with me. Stand with us. It's up to you."

[Envious]

Character Name: Farrah Tinkerspan
Date | Time: 10.18.1322 | afternoon
Location: Hammer Academy - The Wilds
Wearing: As pictured
Tagging | Mentioning: Meena, Shir | Gravity
Notes:
Farrah wrinkled her nose in irritation, glaring at Meena as the chime bounced down to the ground. Did everyone really see something she didn't? She began pacing away as Meena tried to reason with her.

"Lolo did right by Lyra!" she shouted, agreeing. "I seen it. I know it!" She twisted violently on her heel as she turned to walk her pacing path back towards the group. She didn't need to be told that Lolo was truly the one being punished here. She had done the right thing for the right reasons and now she was disqualified! It didn't make sense!

"Dumb question. Dumb question! I said I got yer back, didn't I? I said it, I did! Course I do. 'n that's why I'm tryin' to get you to stay! Ain't that the better course? Fightin' fer everyone to have a spot?" Her pace turned into circling around the team like a vulture as she began her stream of consciousness word vomit. But she was listening. She was thinking about what they were saying and it was evident in her response.

"'n 'n 'n even if we fought 'n failed, carryin' on ain't the same as abandonment! When one stops fer whatever reason, we got to carry on.  The world ain't gonna stand still. We cannot protect or serve if we ain't here to train 'n be competent at it! 'n it ain't easy. Won't this a show of how tough it is! We got to overcome."

They had to, because she couldn't stand the thought of going back home empty-handed. Her pace slowed, her stomps becoming foot-dragging as if the weight of what she was processing was starting to sink in.

"I know," she said sulkily, "that it more than a game. That it ain't no game at all." She started to speak softly. "But it sure do feel like me losin'." As Meena came closer, Farrah stopped and hung her head downwards as her friend gave her the last remaining chimes. She wanted to be angry about it, but she couldn't.

"Why don't I see what y'all see?" It felt so lonely. So isolating. She looked to self-sacrificing Haim who had been dubious from the start. At number-crunching Lyra who couldn't make the equation add up. At big-picture Meena and Vesper who couldn't support the institution. At super-glue Lolo who had worked so tirelessly to make sure they were a team. "I know what they doin' is wrong. I just don't see why walkin' away instead of fightin' it is right. Fightin' not just fer the one chime, but all of 'em. I know I was gonna fight to be one of the four at the beginning. I ain't sorry for it. But I can listen to reason. I see it gotta be all six of us. It ain't a choice. It gotta be all. The end. No give up. No walk away." She brought the chimes to her heart.

"I know this wrong..." But it felt more wrong to walk away. She didn't want to walk away. Even more, she didn't want to go home and confront the loss that had prompted her to be in this position. Yet... as wrong as it felt to walk away, it didn't feel any more right to stay. How could she support a school that punished people who exemplified what it meant to be a Champion? What was she going to learn from a staff that allowed teams to fight each other for a spot at the table instead of focusing on the shared threat that brought daily ruin to lives? Her ears drooped downwards.

"But what be the point in staying at a school that don't teach the right kinda character?" She still held on to those chimes, though, as her mind stalled. She couldn't answer the question. She knew what kind of Champion she wanted to be and they were right. This wasn't her vision and it made her so unbearably sad to realize she was on the wrong path and that she had no idea what the right path even was.

I'm still adrift in that damn sea...

She could feel tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Uncertainty for the future, shame in her desire, grief over an unrealized dream, anger for her simple mindedness, frustration that she still couldn't let those chimes go... Her soggy clothes clung uncomfortably to her skin, her belly grumbled in neglect, her muscles were sore from exertion. Everything sucked.

"I reckon we made our decision, Shir. Do hope the show entertained, Lindon," she said with faux cheerfulness. The smile was pathetic, but she was trying. The muscles in her arm spasmed as she clenched her fist. Metal bent under her might and the tubes flexed and crumpled into each other. She opened her fist and the mass dropped as a single, tangled unit to her feet. Letting go had been hard. It would take time to be alright with the choice. She blinked back those tears and took a deep breath, forcing her face into a neutral expression at the bare minimum.

"Y'all wanna get some grub?" she asked her team. "I tell you what. I could eat."

[Aethyrium]

Character Name: Marlowe “Lolo” Ashe
Date | Time: October 18th | Late Morning  (~10am)
Location: Hammer Academy - The Wilds
Wearing: Black and white tux w/ open face undershirt, stylized bra, asymmetrical untied bowtie, and thick heels
Tagging | Mentioning: Farrah, Haimehen, Meena, Vesper, Lyreilynn |
Once the sheer shock of Shir’s attack wore off, Lolo didn’t need support from Lindon - or anyone - to keep going. Truth was she had been prepared to carry herself before Lyra, and then Haim, came to her. It wouldn’t have been her choice to leave the fight. Haim told her to get back into it, and she had meant to. She had wanted to. Leaving felt like abandoning them. So even though she did ache, and she tasted her own blood, and her Soul was a distant and muted buzz that needed to recover, Marlowe had intended to keep going. But it was maybe a little nice to get to relax instead, she hurt. About halfway to the tree, Marlowe disentangled from Lindon and thanked him. The desire to put her back to it and slump down was strong, but it would have been terribly improper. And her poor outfit already had enough damage. So Marlowe crouched, leaned to her hand, and lowered herself a bit away from it, and she looked out to the rest of her team, making ready to fight.

“They’re going to get the chimes.” Lolo said with total confidence. “Farrah likes games, she won’t lose.” She was sure of that. “Haim’s too smart to fail.” A smile lit up her features. She held her wrist and rolled her hand, “Meena doesn’t know how to back down, he won’t stop her.” Lolo closed her eyes and rolled her head, “Plus Vesper already clipped one, we already know that he can take them.” Taking a great big breath, Lolo looked at Lindon, who was looking at her and listening, “And Lyra is too strong for him. I mean, she can resist me, and I’m irresistible.” She laughed. Eyes turned to the ticking clock, “I don’t know what they’ll do when they get them. But they’re going to get them. Shir had no idea what he was getting into when he picked this as our gauntlet.”

And it turned out, she was right. Lolo perked up when she heard Shir call it. The details were too far away, but that didn’t matter.

Lyra’s prompt arrival made Lolo smile, but not more than the elf throwing her arms around her like that. Marlowe blinked with surprise, but quickly melted into delight. She leaned her head against Lyra’s and hugged her with one arm. She’d have pulled her closer, had Meena not arrived just after and insisted on tending to her. All this fuss over her. “I’m okay.” She insisted. It was to calm Meena down, but also for Lyra who seemed concerned. Still, Lolo wasn’t going to resist hands all over her - or the medic. “Well,” She laughed softly, “I just thought you might like to play doctor.” It didn’t matter how hurt she was, there was always time for a bit of good, playful flirtatiousness.

She glanced at everyone else as they fell in, before finally settling on Shir. Lolo didn’t know what to do with what Shir was saying. Her throat was suddenly dry. When Lindon had said she was done, she had thought he meant participating. Not done, like, done. “What?” Her voice was small and quivery. Why was she done? Where would she go? Her heart sank. When Lindon had come for her, she had been okay with it because she felt like she had created an opening for people. The truth was that she always believed that no matter who got the chimes, she’d end up with one of them. Arrogantly, it had never occurred to Marlowe that any combination of four remaining gravity squires didn’t include her and a combination of three others.

If she had known, would she have done what she did? Shamefully, the answer was no. Marlowe was too selfish for that. Lolo looked down into her lap and stared at the ground like she was trying to see through it. Should she protest? No, that would be unbecoming and what good would it do? Did she even have an argument to make, she wondered? None came to mind. Lolo blinked. For a moment she thought she might cry. Her gaze swept across all of them, and she didn’t know what to do or say to any of them.

Meena’s words and offering tugged at her heart and she stared at the chime, unmoving for it. She wasn’t eligible. Her mouth parted to say words, but she had none, so she just reached for Meena’s hand and pushed it away. She didn’t want to see it. It came again, and Marlow shook her head, closing the Silenus’ hand, “I failed.” She whispered. No matter what Meena said, she had. “No.” She repeated, firmer. “I’m disqualified.” Saying it somehow made it feel more real than just hearing it. Lolo felt heavy, the weight of her choice. Sacrifice?

“I’d swim through lakes of lava and ice for you and Farrah. I’d let them peel my skin like a grape if it meant we could recover Mila. I’d… give almost anything to speak to Namid about why she left.”

That’s what Haimehen had said to her. And what had she said?

“I want Mila back as much as anyone, but if someone tries to peel my skin I’m out.”

And it was true. It hadn’t been intended as a sacrifice. If she had known it was going to be a sacrifice she wouldn’t have done it. At least, she didn’t think she would have - she was pretty sure. She liked them, all of them, and she’d move mountains if it were in her power for them. But like them more than herself? Lolo swallowed dryly. Maybe she should have been disqualified, because maybe it should have been a sacrifice. “But not me.” Lolo pushed Meena’s hand back, and closed her eyes tightly.

Pretender.

Big dumb brute.

Feeling Meena’s arms around her any other time would have been warm and sparked joy and playfulness. But not this time. The reality was that Shir could take her - they couldn’t stop him even if they wanted to, and what good would it do in the end? It wasn’t going to be like he was acting alone. They certainly couldn’t resist all of Hammer. And then Meena made the real sacrifice, and Lolo didn’t know what to do with it. “No, you have to…” But her protest was weak. Farrah had the right idea, Lolo thought. She nodded, trying to convince Meena with that alone and Farrah’s words. Not only were chimes there to be had, but Meena had gotten two herself! She should stay, Farrah should stay. Those were the rules.

Haim’s argument - if you could call it that - sort of made sense to Lolo. It’s how she had thought things would go, but then it sort of was. Shir had said the other three failed, but was allowing them to get chimes anyway. Lolo couldn’t focus on that though, because of Haim’s statement about not taking a chime. Him too? She looked up at him, confused. It didn’t track with anything she knew about him. Soon it was Vesper’s turn, and like a magnet her attention was drawn to him. There was a lot of what he said that felt like what she felt when she had been trying to keep everyone together, and there was more of it that didn’t feel like her at all. She wanted glory.

What could she say about Lyra’s arguments? They felt right. Her math might have gone over Lolo’s head, but she trusted its accuracy without verification. Even her critiques of Shir seemed on point. But the most striking thing was the way she looked at her and declared her stance. That was… Different. It wasn’t like her.

As Meena slipped away, she turned and watched, and she listened, as the new Silenus pleaded with Farrah. But it was wrong, Lolo felt. This was all wrong. Wasn’t it? If Marlowe had been in Farrah’s position, if she had obtained a chime and it had been Haimehen, or Lyra, or any of them where she was, could anything have convinced her to walk away from her dream? Her deeply personal reason for being here? It wasn’t right to ask Farrah to do that, it wasn’t right for any of them to be suggesting to do it in the first place. Whatever it was that Farrah didn’t see, Lolo didn’t either. At least, not until Farrah crushed the chimes and dropped them.

“You’re the heart of the team… You’re the heart of us. There’d be no Gravity. We’d have all flown apart without you.”

When Haim had said that to her in the Placid Beeffalo, she hadn’t understood it. Not really. She got the words, but she didn’t see whatever it was that he was seeing at the time. She didn’t know what to do with it either. It had felt good, and she liked hearing it, but lots of things felt good and she enjoyed hearing them. It had been something of a reflex to thank him and let it warm her up. She hadn’t thought anyone else thought that way about her. But then…

“Shir can’t take you.” Meena had said. It stuck in her brain.

“I won’t abandon Lolo.” Haim answered. How was it anything but noble?

“...Being placed next to her in any context is certainly an elevation.” Vesper said. Did he mean that?

“We either all pass or we all fail.” Lyra said, a near mimic of her own words when soothing her. Had she done that?

“I see it gotta be all six of us. It ain’t a choice. It gotta be all.” Even Farrah had come to this conclusion.

And at the heart of it, there was Lolo. These people were all willing to give up their dreams because of what she did? For her? She’d never felt so small and so big at the same time - she hadn’t realized it was possible. She felt… Important. Lolo’s eyes peered at the hunk of chimes squished together. A week ago, days ago even, this wouldn’t have been possible, she thought. Everyone had been so at odds, things had been so tense. Was this, this ending to gravity the satisfying conclusion to what she’d been trying to do? Everyone, together, even in defeat? Even if she could take a chime right now, pluck it from the fold and hold it up… Would she? How could she? She had fought so hard to bring everyone together, how could she be the one to pull them apart? Maybe the most selfish thing she could do was be the heart of the team, and keep them together. That’s what she had wanted, right? Recognition? Attention? To mean something and be someone? This was that, wasn’t it? If it wasn’t, what was?

“Thank you.” She murmured in the silence, to everyone, and looked to Shir - judgment, for them, awaited.

[Aethyrium]

Shir Dhan

Lindon Felter

S T O R Y T E L L E R
October 18th, Late Morning (~10am) | Hammer Academy - The Wilds | Grassland - Fire Resonance
Next Post: 2.6.24 | Farrah, Marlowe, Lyreilynn, Haimehen, Meena, Vesper
“...And don’t think I didn’t see your little tricks out there.” Lindon continued, snatching up the basket of delightful meals as they headed for the weapon.

Shir stifled a laugh and shrugged, “Next time we’ll put you out there and see what you do.”

The blonde didn’t contain his laugh, “No thank you.” He looked over his shoulder at the gathering of gravity, “So what did you think?” Lindon asked, more seriously.

Stomping at the ice to break it up some, Shir held down his hand and the ring-blade vibrated against it before straining the cracks enough that it flung into his hand, throwing a shower of ice chunks all around. “They’re sloppy. Slow.” He shook the remaining ice from the blade and began pulling apart, sword by sword, and resheathing them along his back. “And have a lot of personal baggage.” Shir clinked the final blade into place and pivoted to look at them.

Lindon nodded along. All of that was true, he had no specific counterpoints to offer, except, “So were you, once upon a time.” He turned full around and looked at the group, “And who doesn’t have baggage? Certainly not me. Or you.” Lindon glanced at Shir, “And they did get the chimes.”

His evaluation hadn’t been disqualitative. Shir nodded, “That’s not the hard part, you know that.”

“Do you think they’ll get it?” Lindon started forward.

Veering to the side, Shir bent and snatched his book from the ground and put it back in his pouch. “Has anyone?”

“Well not since you’ve been giving it anyway.” Lindon said with a small chuckle, “But you did.”

Shir took a deep breath, “Maybe I’m just worse at doing it.”

“It’s a test of their nature, you can’t make them succeed. It’s a lesson that has to be taught harshly. You know that.” Lindon consoled. “You’re not Ninmori, Shir. And sure, maybe you’re harder on them than he was on you, but I think he’d understand why. Our world is different than his was. Theirs will be different than ours.” He set a hand on Shir’s shoulder and smiled, “And I think he’d be proud.”

Nodding, Shir got quiet again as they approached again. He stopped them a little bit away - enough that they were within earshot, but not so close that the squires would feel crowded. This was for them. And it didn’t seem to be going particularly well. Farrah turning on him had him glancing at her and meeting her hot, angry gaze with his own neutral, passive one. “This isn’t about me. It’s about you.” That much at least was true.

Farrah’s words didn’t fall on deaf ears, but Shir had an obligation to maintain his aloofness. She asked if he cared, and he shrugged. “This isn’t about me. It’s about you.” That much at least, was true. Give up a chime? Shir glanced at Meena. Haim’s comparison was both a poor comparison and exceedingly naive. But fairness didn’t matter - this wasn’t about being fair. Life wasn’t fair. People weren’t fair. Hollow weren’t fair. So Shir didn’t comment, but he did follow the gaze to Lindon - who met the glance at him and smiled. He even offered a little wave, like, yes, I see you.

“Does he remind you of anyone?” Lindon asked too quietly to hear - except, Haim could definitely read those sounds.

Shir smirked, “Yeah.” And Haim seemed to agree with Meena. Interesting, but inconclusive. He met Vesper’s gaze. Nothing about his demeanor gave away enough to confirm or deny the assumptions of his intentions. His smirk left and he stared neutrally, following the attention given to Lolo, then back to him. It wasn’t obvious, but Shir felt what Vesper was saying, truly. But he didn’t offer the young man any consoling, or any sign that he was getting through. Because, like fairness, it wasn’t about judgment either, nor right or wrong. He joined this team of not collecting chimes and Shir stood a little taller and lulled his head, considering.

Lindon glanced sidelong at him.

That Lyra wanted to be clever and find another answer wasn’t shocking, and Shir met her suggestions with cool and collected dismissal. “No.” He said. “No.” He repeated. Each of her ideas on how to twist the situation to their favor met with another no. That was not the assignment - because it didn’t have anything to do with the chimes, not really. Finally it seemed like she had broken, and her denial at accepting that a choice had to be made turned to resentment. Her words really couldn’t have been further from the truth, though she couldn’t have known that.

But Lindon did. She talked about what Shir wanted and he frowned. He too remained silent, but he was under no obligation to remain stoic in the face of all of this - they didn’t know him, and his opinion was probably irrelevant to all of them. By design, of course.

Most of it, Shir wouldn’t comment on. Not now at least. Maybe, if they passed. “I do have the authority.” He confirmed for her, just to help back her to the point of figuring out what she was going to do. “Where do you think these cut instructions came from?” At least, that’s what he said, what he allowed them to believe. The numbers he picked weren’t arbitrary. They had been picked almost specifically to trip Lyra - and potentially Haimehen - up. To drive them to making decisions based on the idea of what they might try to sniff out as a bluff. Others - Farrah and Lolo - he had anticipated would be hard to sell on that logic. This too was carefully calculated. “Eight teams of six, reduced to four teams of four, to better concentrate resources and ensure they’re getting the right tutelage. Like I said before.” All or nothing huh? Shir shrugged at her decision, “If you want to go back to your mother, don’t let me stop you.”

It was hard for Lindon to not jab Shir. Lindon probably wouldn’t have continued to push at this point, but it wasn’t his call to make - and for better or worse, he trusted Shir knew what he was doing.

Meena’s stance, the way she handled Farrah got both men’s attention. No more so than the reaction that it spurred in Meena. Lindon smiled the whole time, watching her work through what she was struggling with. He knew that she was so close. And Lindon couldn’t help but glance at Shir - oh how he wished he could read his friend’s thoughts right then. Farrah was behaving predictably, in a way that many - most, even - did. Shir saw in her the great failing.

…And then she surprised him. His eyes followed the dropped chimes.

Lindon smirked. He looked at Shir briefly and then back to the group. Nodding, Lindon said, “I dare say the most entertained I have ever been at one of these.”

Shir looked at each of the squires individually. He met their gaze and searched for something in them. “You’ve made your decision huh?” He stepped forward toward them, away from Lindon. “So you’re all just going to throw it away and give up.” Shir questioned, looking around to get individual confirmation from each of them. And in each of them he saw a ghost while getting, even one of himself. “Fine. So be it. If that’s how you want it,” He sighed and shrugged, “Then you all…” His neutrality cracked. A smile, a deep, genuine smile, formed on his lips and his entire demeanor shifted toward the positive. Like a great weight was suddenly gone. “Pass.” Stepping into the middle of them, Shir reached down and offered a hand to Lolo, “None of you,” That was for everyone, but he wanted her to hear it specifically, “Are going anywhere.” He got her to her feet.

“You’re wrong.” He said, turning to Lyra, and slowly repositioning so that he was talking to everyone, the whole team. Shir was softer, more caring, maybe even hurt. “I didn’t want to see you fight each other.” He frowned, “Watching you all do that for these last two weeks has been…” Shir shook his head. “I didn’t need to drive you apart, you all did that on your own. And you weren’t fixing it.” Really, he dared any of them to try and say otherwise. It was time that they all took a look inside and be real with themselves. “Something came between you, and instead of coming together, you flew apart. You were fortunate enough to have new friends come to you after your loss, and what did you do with it?” Shir licked his lips and nodded at Vesper and Meena who had absolutely not been given a fair chance by anyone other than Lolo. “All I did was recreate what you were going through, and give you another chance at it.” And heartwarmingly, they had come together. “And you stood together. For the first time.” Unlike the incident at Dazzle & Dust, they had unified to overcome the obstacle in front of them. And unlike their reaction to loss before, they came together this time. He made a little gesture at all of them, “You picked one another over yourselves.”

He looked past them at Lindon, who gave him a little nod. “If you asked a hundred champions what the most important thing was, you’d get a hundred and five different answers.” He shrugged, “I can’t tell you the right answer to that. But I can tell you that this…” Shir swept a hand across, motioning to all of them, “Is how you get through it. These bonds are precious, and they’re how you survive in this world. And you have to cherish them, because someday they might not be there.” A hint of unsteadiness made his voice waver there. “You’re going to have problems. You work it out. And you never abandon your team.” And he wasn’t just talking physically - but emotionally. The way that gravity had split apart and fractured, that too was abandonment just of a different sort. “Mila is one of us.” Shir looked mostly to Farrah, because though it affected everyone, it was her partner. “We won’t leave her behind. We will find her. We won’t stop.” That was how it all started, so it impacted all of them, and his attention shifted more broadly, “But we won’t quit moving forward, either.”

And that meant it was time for him to get involved. “So now that I know there is a team. Now that you know there’s a team.” He grinned a little, “I think it’s time we show Hammer what gravity is all about.”

Lindon, who had been slowly approaching while listening, not wanting to interrupt, smiled at Shir and nodded his approval. “That’s Shir’s way of saying he likes you.” He lifted the basket of delicious, masterful food, “Now who’s hungry?” He picked up the top meal and held it to… Haim. “This one’s yours.” Why was it specific? Because while Shir might have not been immediately present since they started like the other mentors, he hadn’t been not paying attention to them. He had been watching, listening, and observing. And today, in his basket, there was a meal tailor made for each of them - a favorite, something special that he had learned - in one way or another - over the last several weeks. Lindon held the basket out for everyone to go through.

[Aethyrium]

Character Name: Marlowe “Lolo” Ashe
Date | Time: October 18th | Late Morning  (~10am)
Location: Hammer Academy - The Wilds
Wearing: Black and white tux w/ open face undershirt, stylized bra, asymmetrical untied bowtie, and thick heels
Tagging | Mentioning:  | Farrah, Haim, Meena, Vesper, Lyra
Lolo winced as he condemned their actions. The weight of what everyone was giving up felt so much more intense when he said it aloud. She thought of words to say, something to tell them to make them take it back - the chimes were damaged, but not destroyed, she’d pull them apart herself if she needed to. But how could she convince them? What could she say that…

Pass?

She blinked and looked up at Shir, stunned. She didn’t understand. How did what they do have to do with the test he had presented them with? It didn’t compute. Lolo looked at the hand extended to her and she reached for it, awkwardly getting to her feet. “I’m not?” She shook her head and looked around, “We’re not?” And when Shir shook his head to confirm, Lolo let her shoulders slump. Her heart was pounding.

Instead slinging questions, Lolo listened - hoping that something Shir was about to say would shed some light on how any of this made sense. Lyra’s argument had made sense when she had made it, but the truth was that Lolo agreed with Shir, once he started talking. They had fallen apart on their own. Shir pushed their buttons, but he was merely exploiting a weakness that he saw - she knew something about that. Kenny had taught her that lesson, to find a weakness and to hammer it. When he had been doing it, she had been blind to that being what was happening, but he was right. And no matter how much she had tried, there had been unresolved tension. Things that Haim, Farrah, and Lyra hadn’t put any effort into fixing. And it had poisoned Meena and Vesper’s arrival.

When had he taken notice of all this? Maybe it was just that obvious to everyone. That was a cringey thought.

Marlowe wasn’t complex, and she couldn’t grok all of the pieces that Shir had moved to create this scenario. How he had figured out that the test and reasons he put in front of them would actually lead them to this. But she did understand what he had done, when it was spelled out - it didn’t feel obvious to her in hindsight, but it did feel clear. When they had lost Mila, they had gone the wrong way - she had said as much to Haim and Lyra - to try and deal with it. Shir had created a fresh opportunity for them to air their problems, to work it out, and to try again and do what they failed to do the first time. And it worked. It had worked better than anything she had tried. When they lost Mila, they had run away from one another; he had given them a chance to do the opposite.

Her eyes met Shir with a new sense of appreciation for him. He hadn’t been a good mentor - she probably wouldn’t have described him as mentor at all beyond it being a title - in her opinion, and she didn’t understand what his role was. Until now. They had been failing, floundering, and festering… And he saved them. “You…” Lolo was quiet. She wanted to praise him. But with the anxiety of removal gone, and having some understanding, she had some frustration. Marlowe stepped toward Shir and furrowed her brow. “Lied to us.” Maybe not about the mission, there was an interpretation about this being a survival mission that probably made sense. No, she meant about being expelled. Lolo balled her fist slugged Shir’s shoulder. Not… As hard as she could have, but enough that she wanted him to feel it. “Don’t do that again.” She wouldn’t have ever thought to count Shir as a member of their team, even with the title of mentor - because he’d been absent. But what he did here, didn’t that prove that he was? When they needed him, he stepped in.

Even if his method had nearly broken her.

Was it inappropriate to hug him? To flirt and show her acceptance? Probably. But she didn’t care. Her attention ended elsewhere though, as she took two steps back away from Shir and listened to what he had to say about bonds. She looked at these five people and saw them all differently. Each of them got a glance from her, part her looking for their reactions and feelings, and another part seeing them. Really seeing them. They were a team. Shir was part of that. They wouldn’t give up on Mila. She didn’t know how Lindon fit in, but that was not a problem for right now! It had only been a month, like Haim had said, but she did cherish these bonds. More than any others she could think of.

Enough that if it meant standing with all of them, she probably would have given up a chime too, just like Farrah.

With food in hand, Lolo looked to Lyra. Then Haim, and back again. This had all been great, but it hadn’t sorted any of her very confused feelings. Rather than dwell, for the moment, a different thought worked its way into her head. “So you made all of that stuff up, about… Squires getting cut?” She asked, as though she were just catching up to that part of the conversation. Squeezing the covered tray in her hand and looking at the delightful meal of steak, shrimp, and mashed potatoes, and green beans - the sort of meal that she would have wanted to be treated to - it didn’t make a lot of sense how he’d known. “Why haven’t you been with us? Like the other mentors?” That’s what she wanted to know, as she made her way toward Haim - ideally looking to put herself between him and Lyra - to sit and eat.

She had been hungry and angry before whatever had made it worse had happened - what had caused that, she wondered - so she was absolutely not about to pass up this meal.

[shengami]

Character Name: Haimehen
Date Oct. 18 | Time: Afternoon (~10 a.m.)|
Location: Hammer Academy - The Wilds | Grassland - Fire Resonance
Wearing: Outfit, orange cap, cast w/walking boot, bandolier of cartridges, Feu and Fureur, heavy boot on healthy foot
Tagging: 'everyone' | Mentioning: |
It was instantly obvious that Haim didn't deserve to succeed. He felt it in his muscles that his motives had not been pure. He'd wanted to sacrifice himself for the group, sure, but only because he had options. Was that even sacrifice? Not really.

But he wasn't going to pass up on his path. He didn't need to sacrifice anything or let anyone know what he had meant to do. It didn't matter that Shir Dhan was basically trying to trauma bond them. Or maybe correct for a different kind of trauma. He scanned the others slowly and stopped on Vesper. They got along fine as a group, there was nothing to complain about. But champions, whatever their mentor said, operated alone. If he'd wanted group tactics and squad morale, he'd have joined the military like his father wanted. Besides, he'd just get them killed in the long run when he made his attempt to take out the Hollow that took Connie. And if he survived that, he'd find the one that killed his mother, as promised, and kill that one. And another one and another one until one of them claimed him instead.

He twisted his lips as he recalled the offer he'd made to Vesper to help his people. Not with military might or strength of arms, but his mind. With his abilities, not his life. His vision slid away from the man to Meena. They were distant enough. She'd bonded with Farrah and Lolo and that was good. But had she come to him? No. So, there it was. What kind of team were they? Nothing. If there was a way for him to finish his time here alone, he'd take it, right?

A bit of something bitter burned under his mouth and he spat into the soil. He saw the tiny reverberations in the air as a tiny wad of masticated herb hit the soil. He smirked at it. Of course not. None of the others would be here, passed, without him and he wouldn't be here without them. His vision drifted up to the sky, but Connie would also be here if not for him, right?

He sighed and moved to take the paper wrapped package from Lindon. He smirked at the man and then moved to sit down. He noted how fast Lolo was to plop herself between him and Lyra. He chuckled and gave her a thumbs up then looked at Lyra. A lot of the heat of the last two weeks was gone. He pursed his lips and considered the other night. There was a hollow space that throbbed as he did and he sighed. That hollow space had been active lately and he wondered how much of it was his own doing. He'd pushed away Nici, he'd been light and flirty with Lolo, he'd done what he'd done with Mir, and then he kissed Lyra and he had no idea what he was looking for. He leaned back and supported himself on a hand and stared up into the clouds. He recalled that first night. Before Gravity but after Inveigh, when he and Namid had put their heads together and spent the entire night dreaming things up and fabricating on the fly. He'd been comfortable and calm like he had not been since Dazzle and Dust.

His eyes flared and he followed that thought a bit but then let it go. Why wonder what others had done to affect him, his choices were his. He chuckled and unwrapped his meal. He frowned down at the sandwich and glass bottle of orange liquid. Heavy country bread, fried ham, farm cheese, it was nothing special. A glass or citrus juice? A bit of pale color caught his eyes though and his fingers creeped forward to peel up the edge of the bread. He saw the pile of shredded vegetables and his eyes went wide. He plucked a pale strand and rushed it to his mouth. The acid and sweet taste of atchara assaulted him. He grabbed another strand and sucked it. He crunched the pickled fruit and sighed. That little bit of juniper berry and cardamom; that was unique. That was Cordes sur-Ciel style.

His eyes went wide open and locked onto Shir Dhan. He closed the sandwich and pulled it to his face to take a bite. A groan escaped him and his eyes fluttered. He felt the welling nostalgia coming up from his soul. Was it his imagination? Was this his grandfather's recipe. No, surely not. Shir had not found a way to get atchara from his family. The man didn't care about them like that. He had basically just admitted to attempting to trauma bond them. Right? Haim took another bite and the mix of salty ham, sour atchara, funky cheese, and caramel wheat was overpowering.

He didn't hesitate in the slightest but tore a piece off the sandwich and extended his hand to Lolo, offering her a taste of his home. He glanced down at her own food and guffawed. It all looked like simple country fare to him. He winked at her and then stood and did the same for the rest: Farrah, Meena, Vesper, Lyra. Finally, he stood before Shir and stared hard into his eyes. He tore off a piece and offered it to the man. "Take it. Thank you."

He stared down at the half sandwich left and smirked before turning and walking to sit near Farrah. "How do you do it, Farrah? How do you move on? I miss Namid." He bit his sandwich and looked to Vesper. He felt exhausted. Maybe it was the fatigue or the hunger or the trauma, but he was tired of being tired. He missed his family. He missed his partner. But there was someone who didn't deserve that. And, frankly, he didn't deserve that either. Well, some of it. It should have been him on that day in July. But Vesper and the others were here and they'd held their own against a champion. A champion that had held back, but still. There was something magic here. He still wished Namid was a part of it. And Mila. But he could be sad about that and still move forward with this group. Shir had hinted as much. He had been, maybe, a bit forceful it his methods but with good intent.

He reached down and took the bottle to open it. He inhaled the scent of the juice and knew it was from Cordes sur-Ciel as well. He read the label. He smiled broadly and laughed heartily. The laughter grew until he had to slap his knee and almost fell onto his back. Slowly, he regained his senses and showed the bottle so all could see the masking tape attached with a smiling elf face on it. He took a sip and then passed it to Farrah, "Try it. Everyone. It's from my home town. Not Onyx. The other one. The one Lolo can't pronounce." He stuck his tongue out at the fireball and then softened. He watched as the other ate and shared. There was nothing wrong with this, yeah? They were all going to be champions, he glanced at Shir, even it that road was going to be bumpy as hell.

[Crash]

Character Name: Meena Tor
Date | Time: 10.18.1322 | Late Morning
Location: Hammer Academy - The Wilds | Grassland – This post is still in Air Resonance (Next will be in Fire)
Wearing: Green camo cargo pants, black long-sleeved synthetic weave zip-up over a black crop top and puffy black vest with snap on fur trimmed hood and hidden pockets, and Black combat boots
Tagging | Mentioning: Shir, Lindon, Gravity
Shir’s implacability in the face of Lyra’s efforts to find some workaround to allow the team to stay together were blows that landed harder than any he had given Meena in the fight. Had she done the right thing? Made the right choice? Farrah wasn’t wrong. She had left her family. Her people for this. Her leaving had left a hole in her clan. Not because Meena was the daughter of a Clan head or in some way more important than any other member of her clan. Meena’s shimmer was a boon to her clan. To nurture plants in the harsh environment of the Tors was a true gift. 

Her healing skills alone would have been valuable enough to make her loss felt. The loss of her shimmer left a hole impossible to fill. She had sacrificed her life and impacted the lives of her people. And here she was about to throw away her very reason for doing so. Yet, in her heart, it was the right thing to do. 

Meena waited in agony for Farrah to make her decision. She felt terrible watching her partner agonize over her decision. Meena wouldn’t blame her for taking the charms. Wouldn’t have blamed any of them. She had made her choice. She would accept her fate. What she wanted most was to help Farrah, and she knew she couldn’t. 

Meena’s eyes grew wide as her partner. Her friend crumpled the chimes into a twisted mass and dropped them onto the ground. As Farrah took her place with the rest of the team, Meena stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the muscular elf in a bug hug.

As damaged as Gravity was, there was something here worth nurturing. Potential. Like a spring bud, it was fragile and delicate. Pruning it anymore would be the death of it. Shir had to see that. She turned to face their mentor.

“You’ve made your decision huh?”

Meena nodded, too emotional and filled with terrified anticipation to speak.

“So you’re all just going to throw it away and give up.”

Meena didn’t believe she was giving up. It was a stand. But again, she nodded and took Farrah’s hand, gripping it tightly.

“Fine. So be it. If that’s how you want it. Then you all…pass.”

Meena stood there for a full five seconds, just blinking. Had she heard Shir right? She wanted to believe it. Wanted it to be true. But she had been so sure it was the end that her brain couldn’t process what was happening.

“YES!!!!!!!!!!” Meena exclaimed as her mind finally clanked into gear and began functioning again.

She immediately grabbed Farrah and pulled her into the biggest, squishiest hug. Where she had been fighting back tears of sadness and despair, she let tears of absolute elation fall freely.

Meena barely heard what Shir was saying as he explained his reasoning. She didn’t care. All that mattered at the moment was they were all staying. With an arm still around Farrah, she grabbed the others and pulled them into a massive hug. Propriety and personal space issues were tossed aside in the jubilation of the moment. She would apologize later.

Questions were being asked, and food was offered. Meena didn’t try to hold anyone together for long, but for those who wanted to stay, she would keep close for a time, not wanting to let them go. She took a moment to gather Lolo into another hug, careful not to cause discomfort or damage to her bandages.

As the others began to settle into an emotionally raw and utterly surreal picnic, Meena took a moment to take in her team. She had managed to bond with Lolo immediately and Farrah not long after her arrival. Haim and Lyra, though. She barely knew much about either of them. Both had been standoffish when she arrived. In their own thoughts and dislike for one another or Farrah. Meena assumed their lack of interest in her was partly due to her partnership with Farrah.

Meena had tried at first to breach that gap, but when rebuffed, she had left it alone, wanting to give them time. That may have been the wrong choice. There wasn’t anything she could do about that now. The past is the past, but she could do something about it going forward. Her orange eyes turned towards Vesper. He had joined the same night Meena had. She had been so focused on Lolo and Farrah and the situation with Haim and Lyra that she hadn’t gotten to know Vesper well other than their midnight excursion in the Easter Quarter. Meena liked him, but she didn’t really know him. Something else she should remedy. And soon. 

Linden handed Meena her meal, breaking the spell of introspection she found herself under. She thanked him kindly and sat down with the rest, legs crossed. The meal could have come directly from the Clay Pot. Chicken dipped in spiced yogurt, roasted in a clay oven. A covered bowl of beef curry, jasmine rice, and flatbread. The heady aroma of smokey cumin, sweet paprika, garlic, ginger mixed with floral coriander and zesty cardamon made her mouth water.

Meena began to spoon a portion of her meal onto her plate, leaving a generous amount of food in its basket. When Haimehen offered a taste of his lunch, she happily accepted. Meena being one of those people who would try just about anything once. 

“My people traditionally share a meal among friends,” Meena said as she unwrapped a place white cloth that had been bundled and tied. “I would be happy to share mine with ya’ll,” she said, offering her basket to the person sitting next to her before resuming unwrapping. 

When the cloth came undone, Meena’s voice caught in her throat. “Ooo,” she breathed and looked up at Linden and Shir with a misty-eyed and questioning look. “How did you find...?”  Meena didn’t even finish her own sentence. In her lap were what looked to be dry cookies of various sizes and shapes, all stamped with different patterns. Aaruul was a sour milk dessert flavored with sugar or not, depending on the desired taste.

Though dessert wasn’t entirely accurate.

Aaruul was often used as breakfast, especially by children. Either way, they were a decidedly Torian snack with an alternating sour and sweet flavor. Meena hadn’t seen one outside of the Tors in all the years she had been away. 

Some of the Aaruul in her lap held the slightest hint of purple or orange. Meena picked up one of each and gave them a sniff. Blueberry and sallowthorn, respectively. 

“How?” she repeated in wonder before taking a few treats and offering them to the group along with her basket. “If you like sweet and sour,” she said.

[Envious]

Character Name: Farrah Tinkerspan
Date | Time: 10.18.1322 | afternoon
Location: Hammer Academy - The Wilds
Wearing: As pictured
Tagging | Mentioning: Meena, Shir | Gravity
Notes:
If Shir kept speaking, she wasn’t going to be able to hold off on the break down she had planned on having later that night in private. Making the choice to walk away had not just been difficult - it had been dreadful. It forced her to consider things she was not yet prepared to face head on. She always knew the day would come for her to be held accountable for her choices, but she had hoped it would be much later on. Maybe then, her well-intended actions would have received some grace and a list of good deeds would help soften the truth. But to return home like this? Empty handed with no valor to credit to her name?

That was the problem, she suspected. Why she hadn’t seen what the others had. Why she had heard, but still didn’t quite understand. Her brain was saying one thing while her heart was saying another and she had chosen to go with her heart. To trust in the -

’...pass.’

- good sense of those around her instead of following stubbornly down her own path. She might be quick to act, but she was just as amenable to stop and listen whether she agreed or not! And maybe a little more listening would do her some good. Action had never been her problem - maybe the impulsiveness, but swift action was a boon! And though her time at Hammer had been cut short, she had learned. Maybe not as swiftly as others, but-

“YES!!!!!!!!!!”

As Meena pulled her into a warm and squishy embrace, Farrah was pulled out of her internal monologue to confront the endless joy radiating from her partner. Because they had passed. It occurred to her that Shir had said as much, but she had been so stunned by her earlier decision to walk away and so afraid of hearing Shir’s rebuke that it hadn’t fully sunk in what he had said. It was so at odds with her expectation, she hadn’t been able to comprehend it.

Stunned, she allowed herself to be pulled into the group hug and a smile of disbelief graced her lips. Pass? Pass? As she was let go, she took a moment to steady herself. She pressed a closed fist to her heart and began to rub at it in a slow, tight circle. She beat that fist on her chest once. Twice. Thrice. Finding a rhythm, she let those firm blows ground her in the moment. Each muted thud against her armor was a strike to cry victory.

That grim set to Shir's jaw was gone and he was saying things. Many things. Lovely things. Sensible things! Maybe the unpleasant expression on his face had not been because he disliked them, but because the trial was one that he too needed to endure.

After Meena gave her hug to Lolo, Farrah reached out and clapped an arm on her partner’s shoulder.

"Many thanks for keepin' me in line," she said softly. Her tone expressed that this was a gratitude more than one friend thanking another. Although their relationship had easily bloomed once Farrah had opened herself to it, this was deeper. The elf had witnessed the Grandmother in Meena today and she responded to it. Respected it.

As Lindon presented her with her basket, Farrah happily found a spot, welcoming Haim as he seated himself next to her. She could see the surprise as her friends opened their baskets. This meal was special to them. With excitement, she opened her own oblong-shaped basket that was larger than the rest.

”Oh bless…” Inside was a rack of ribs, smoked with a dry rub of spices crusting the outside. She pulled at the bone and the meat wobbled, ready to slide right off. A crab shell used as a dish was loaded with meat from the animal mixed with fish and a creamy sauce topped with crunchy seasoned crumbles of bread. A salad of pickled vegetables. Sauteed mushrooms in a thick gravy with onions and herbs. A small loaf of squishy bread, its floured top cut in a pattern she recognized from the baker who had moved away from her village to the city years ago. A glass bottle of tea. A delicately wrapped set of apple turnovers with a sweet glaze on top. And… something that was also in Vesper’s basket?

How did he know? How did he know these were her favorite things? Butterflies filled her stomach as she wondered just what else he knew about her, but instead of asking, she loudly gave thanks before inviting them to sit.

”Six ‘n not eight? Would please us all to break bread together and know the mystery that is Shir Dhan and Lindon. Come ‘n share. There’s enough meat on me bones for all!” She followed suit, giving up pieces of her meal and taking others to learn a little more about their tastes.

When Haim posed his question, she hesitated mid-bite for a moment before chomping down and chewing slowly to contemplate his words. ”Do not know what you mean, Haim. Not moving on. Moving towards. Towards rescue. Towards closure. Towards growin’ into the person they’d wanna see. Ain’t you hear Shir? Gotta move forward, but that don’t mean leavin’ the important things behind.” She thought of his mama and sister and didn’t think he’d ever move on from those women he had loved so dearly. And that was okay.

”Don’t mean it don’t suck. That choice Namid made really do hurt, but… you gotta understand it now. You was all ready to do the very thing she already done - walk away. Me thinkin’ she did it ‘cuz she thought we’d be safer without her. ‘n we’ll never know the truth of it, but we gotta respect that she saw in herself that she won’t ready ‘n made the tough choice to sacrifice for our benefit. Ain’t that what y’all was doin’ givin’ up a chime? Knowin’ that the sacrifice was worth it to make sure someone got to pick it up iffin they wanted it? But that be too heavy a topic for digestion. How ‘bout you try some of this?” she offered him the pickled vegetables that made up her salad and when his giggle fit died down, she tried some of his juice.

But her eyes were on Shir when Lolo asked her question. Why indeed had Shir not been like other mentors? Would things have been different had he been?

[FyreFoxx]

Character Name: Lyreilynn "Lyra" Xyrven Myalis
Date | Time: October 18th | Late Morning  (~10am)
Location: Hammer Academy - The Wilds
Wearing: Light blue wrap blouse, dark blue skirt, light blue belted sash, low-heeled laced boots
Tagging | Mentioning: Marlowe, Shir | Lindon, Farrah, Meena, Haimehen, Namid, Mila
Lyra bit down on her lower lip, still swollen and bruised from earlier, but she didn’t care nor register the pain that sparked from the action. Shir was rebuking her yet again. There had always been the possibility that Shir had been telling the truth about the cuts, but she just couldn’t accept that outcome. Not when she had come so far – quite literally in her case – to be here at Hammer, to become a Champion. The idea that the teams would be sliced down to four of four had not crossed her mind, not even once. Why hadn’t she thought of that? She had been so hung up on full teams of six, with one or more team falling under that numbers. Perhaps one with four, or two with five. She had only been blinded by the numbers and not the why.

She gripped her skirts, her usual method of biting back her tongue and holding in her frustrations. Go back to her mother? There was a flash of anger in her eyes as she narrowed her eyes, peering up at Shir with pure malice. It wasn’t often she showed any true anger towards someone but right now, Lyra really wanted to punch him in his stupid handsome face. Going back home was the last thing she wanted, even if she did give up her chance at a chime. It wasn’t because she wanted to return to her mother’s side, nor that she missed her family. True, she missed home, but it wasn’t anything to do with her family, per say. She missed the lands, the people, and the food. She missed the familiarity of Pearl. The smell of the ocean, the heat of the desert sun, the way the breeze traveled over the sand dunes. Onyx was still so strange to her.

Haimehen retained his stance of basically neutrality. Farrah had been the biggest outlier, and for a moment, she believed the giant elf was going to give in and keep her hard-fought prize. But even Lyra was caught off guard when the brutish elf merely took the chimes that Meena pressed into her hands and crushed them in one go. She wasn’t sure if she was more surprised at the action or the show of immense strength. Either way caused her to blink slowly, before turning her gaze back to their mentor. For the first time, perhaps, they were all unified in their resolve. None of them were taking a chime.

For a long moment, Lyra truly thought it was over. No one moved forward. No one wanted to continue without the others. Only Meena and Farrah had truly passed, after all, so the other four of them were certainly done for. Already, the dainty elf was running over various scenarios in her head about what other options she might have available to her. But what about that group she had just been inducted to? What would become of her membership to the Illuminati if she was kicked out of Hammer? Would that avenue also be closed to her? Shir was right that they had all decided to throw away this chance and give up. They each deserved to stay but they each had their own issues that were preventing cohesion, something that kept them from moving forward.

And apparently it was this sole reason that they passed.

Blinking rapidly, Lyra snapped her head up to look directly at their mentor. He turned to face her directly, his voice softer than it was earlier. ‘You’re wrong.’ It wasn’t a rebuttal, but a plea. He was hurt, even. She knew that tone of voice well, after all. And perhaps she had caused that with her venom dripped words. That thought stung as he recounted his reasons. Every word held truth in them. They had been fighting and not even trying to fix it. At least most of them. Lolo had been trying and she’d been the glue that held everyone else together. A glance over her shoulder towards her partner made a small smile creep across her face. She had been the one constant in this whole thing. Meena and Vesper didn’t deserve the cold reception they got. Lyra had avoided Farrah for personal reasons and the two certainly had unresolved issues that were only partially hashed out mid-fight. And Haimehen… Well, that was a whole new matter to get into after the other night.

Would Anwyn be proud of her, perhaps? Chetan would merely nod in approval. As champions both, would they agree with Shir’s methods? She wasn’t sure she did, but she certainly understood his intentions now, and that was a step in the right direction. Lyra had completely misjudged Shir up to this point. He still didn’t explain his absence away, but at least it didn’t seem like he didn’t care. Perhaps he just didn’t know how to interact with this group of young adults that were fraying at the seams. Did he think that anything he tried would only make things worse? Some of them didn’t exactly have the greatest of impressions about him, but that was changing. “I… am sorry,” she offered up quietly, glancing at Shir momentarily. What else had she gotten wrong about this man? About her team? Was she so set in her own ways that she had been unable to see past her own prejudices?

There was at least one more thing he said that held true. You don’t abandon your team. Wasn’t that something that was drilled into them on the first day? Well, similar. You don’t abandon your partner was the first day’s chant, but it still held true for the team as a whole. Lyra strode back to Marlowe’s side, taking both of the woman’s hands as she looked up at her partner, squeezing her hands softly. “‘diLeMMA’ survives another dilemma.” Was that a joke?! What was the world coming to!?

Lindon interrupted them all by handing out small bundles of food to each person, who would open them to find customized meals tailored for each person. Lyra let go of Marlowe to take hers from the blonde-haired man with a nod of her head, peering down at the parcel with curiosity. With Marlowe at her side, she slowly lowered herself down to the ground, using a free hand to smooth out her skirts behind her as she knelt, tucking her legs off to the side, leaning slightly towards her partner by doing so.

She unwrapped the parcel to a variety of small dishes within, much to her surprise and delight. There was cooked fish, a small mound of white rice, steamed veggies consisting of squash, zucchini, and a handful of bean sprouts, a rolled sweet omelet sliced into little blocks, and a tightly sealed container of some kind of dark liquid. Upon opening it, she was delighted to see that it was miso. And to top it all off was a saguaro nestled next to the carefully prepared box. There was a small squeal of delight she was unable to contain. It had only been a few days ago that she had met with Azir and they had shared a moment speaking of delicacies from their shared homeland and this foreign fruit was one such luxury that had come up for discussion. How did Shir even know that this was her favorite? Surely, the rest of her meal was fine and reminiscent of home, but that’s all it was – familiar. She did enjoy it far more than what she could get from the mess hall, however, but it was nothing outstanding. It was the saguaro alone that touched upon something she truly liked.

Before she could even taste her own meal, Haimehen had tasted his and then started passing out torn off pieces to the rest of them to try. She politely declined such an offer, trying to make as little of a deal out of it as possible. She was skeptical about eating something that someone else had already taken a bite out of, first of all, and secondly, she wasn’t quite sure to think of whatever meat was in that sandwich. If he insisted, she would take it, but then immediately pass it off to Lolo or leave it uneaten. She also passed on his offer to sample his drink.

It seemed that from there, a few of the others also intended to share their meals. Lyra scrunched her nose up at the thought. She felt that it was a bit unsanitary and what if the person you were offering to couldn’t even eat it? Were they still expected to take it? Lyra passed on every single offer to share her teammate’s foods, and did not offer her own, either, small as it was. It wasn’t ladylike to do so for a meal like this, anyway. She had offered her crackers earlier, as something like that was meant to be shared, but a meal such as this? It was absurd. Besides, it seemed most of the others had various forms of meat that the little elf just couldn’t eat.

Lyra remained quiet as a few of them started a conversation about Mila. She thought back to the trip to town with Lolo, something she still had not mentioned to anyone else in Gravity. That had been before Namid left them, in fact, but it still didn’t feel like the right time to bring up. Not until a few more leads were checked on. There was too much to deal with first. With a small sigh, the small elf picked up two identical pieces of smooth sticks, carefully maneuvering them between her fingers with practiced ease. Using her chopsticks, she tore off a small piece of the fish, its flesh falling apart easily, and popped it into her mouth as she listened to those around her in silence.

It… felt nice, this quiet amongst them. No fighting, no screaming. There were heavy topics being discussed, but it wasn’t the least bit awkward. There were no hurt feelings, no heightened animosity. They had finally come together as a team, and it was all due in part to Shir. Another glance was given to their mentor as Lolo poised her question, a bit curious herself about the answer, if there was to be any. “I am also curious about that. You said I was wrong earlier, but you never explained your absence in our training. You admitted to watching us struggle, but you did nothing about it. ‘You never abandon your team’ but did you not do just that? Why?” She frowned a bit, pursing her lips together. “Were we just not worth the effort yet?”

[Aethyrium]

Shir Dhan

Lindon Felter

S T O R Y T E L L E R
October 18th, Late Morning (~10am) | Hammer Academy - The Wilds | Grassland - Fire Resonance
Next Post: 2.12.24 | Farrah, Marlowe, Lyreilynn, Haimehen, Meena, Vesper
Shir glanced at Lindon and gave the blonde a little deadpan look, “Thank you.” He was glad that the meals were landing well, though clearly a fair bit of thought had gone into them so he had assumed they would. They were one part peace offering. Picking them had been very deliberate. On the face, it had been to fill the air with familiar aromas that each individual would pick up on and would distract them. But beyond that they had been a peace offering of sorts, if they managed to accomplish what they had. And they had been meant to showcase something else - despite his distance, Shir hadn’t been as absent as they might have thought. His methods were just… Different. “Hmm?” He met Haim’s eyes, and then glanced at the offering. Nodding slightly, Shir took the sandwich. Getting Haimehen on board had seemed to Shir to be the biggest hurdle, and if he was finding his way down the path, that seemed to spell good things for everyone. So long as he took what came next with as much grace.

“I’ll do my best.” He chuckled at Lolo, tossing Haim’s offering into his mouth and then rubbing his shoulder. As more food was shared around, Shir - and Lindon - took what was offered. Farrah was right that there were only six containers. “Well,” Their mentor said as he took a seat on the ground, “If I’m being honest I didn’t know if you’d get here. We were just going to enjoy whatever was left.”

Lindon chuckled. “It’s better this way.”

“Yeah.” Shir smiled.

Even though they had not been asked, both Shir and Lindon seemed to have thoughts about Haimehen’s question to Farrah. Though their individual reactions were a fair bit different. Shir glanced at Farrah initially, curious, but ultimately looked down at the things that had been given to him and seemed to focus there. Listening, but perhaps sad. Lindon on the other hand, looked up to Shir. He stared for but a moment before giving Farrah his attention, more interested in whatever wisdom the elf might provide. Lindon had not attributed the sort of full thoughts that Farrah had on the subject to her, it seemed surprisingly insightful. Of course he had never met Namid so he couldn’t say if she was right in that evaluation of the choice. Her final advice, that this was a topic very heavy for this moment, wasn’t one that Lindon wanted to downplay - he agreed, but there was something he wanted to say on the matter while he had the chance. “Farrah’s right, Haimehen.” Lindon said, looking at the young man, “I never met Namid, but it sounds like she left a mark on you.” A soft smile graced his lips. He couldn’t help but glance sympathetically at Shir, before fixating again on Haim, “Don’t try to move on from that. People change us, Haim, and they stay with us. It’s not something to avoid or overcome. We are the sum of ourselves and those that have touched us. It is sometimes an unfortunate and harsh reality, but oftentimes it's just… The nature of life.”

Shir picked at some of the meat that had been given, quietly listening and gnawing. His own opinions were going to go unspoken at this gathering - he too agreed with Farrah, too much to digest on. Looking up at Lolo, he probably should have anticipated that question. And Lyra followed it up. Her words were an interesting choice. Maybe there was a bit of truth in that. He took just a moment to think and find his words.

A moment too long, because Lindon piped in, “Shir has… Commitment issues.” He laughed. Shir leveled a slight glare at the man. Lindon held up his hands in surrender.

Unfortunately Lindon wasn’t entirely off base, even if it were a rather large oversimplification. “Mentors are a hard role to fill.” Shir rubbed a curled finger against his goatee. “Finding a Champion who will stop fighting long enough to guide people. And they have to be willing to let go of the reins enough to let the students learn and develop, and resist doing everything on their own. It does you no good if I solve all your problems for you. Actually, it does you a disservice. So the headmaster’s have to keep an eye on the Index and their own students, always looking for potential. But it doesn’t do you good to be mentored by a fresh graduate, you need someone with experience. And because doing what we do is so… Personal. There’s no good way to create a standard way to teach practical skills. Your professors do their best to equip you with the general knowledge and things you’ll need to survive and do what we do. But in the real world, lessons are theory not application. Good to have and known, but insufficient alone.” He ran his thumb across his lips and looked at the team, “That’s why mentors are given such freedom to train their teams how they see fit. In a way it allows us to pass on traits and styles that have proven success. Team members become influenced by their mentors, and evolve on those styles.”

That, he realized, didn’t really answer the question of why he hadn’t been present. Just the why of how he was allowed to be. “It’s not that you weren’t… Worthy.” Shir put his hand in the grass and leaned heavily back on it. “I have great respect for the other mentors. But they’re…” He looked up to the sky and shook his head, “You were new, all of you. This was different. I wanted to see how you behaved as a team without me.” Taking a deep breath, Shir closed his eyes. “Because I won’t always be there. We all struggle, but knowing how you handle those struggles on your own tells me a lot about you. So I wanted to see how you, as people, handled this and one another without feeling like someone was watching over your shoulder. And some of that was to see if there was something here for me to teach.” So a tiny bit about worth. Finally he looked at all of them again, “And then Mila was taken. And you fractured. And then Namid left. And then Meena and Vesper joined. There was a lot of choppy water in quick succession. I would have been another variable, and I wanted to give you all the chance to sort things out on your own. When it started to look like that wasn’t going to happen...” Shir gestured at the field they were in.

“Which brings me to the last part of this.” He sat up straight. “Ettinus is a wise man. I don’t know why or how he makes the decisions he does, when it comes to team leaders. In fact, I’d say that usually I’m mostly confused by the ones he does make. Namid would not have been my choice.” Nothing against the small woman, but whatever it was that Ettinus had seen in her, Shir did not. “Haim, you were made the temporary leader of this team because you were its leader's partner. That’s standard, in case something happens to a team leader. The idea is that you’ll be the closest to them, and have the best idea of what they were doing and be able to capitalize on that to keep things smooth until more formal arrangements can be made.” Shir explained. “And Ettinus didn’t want to make a decision about team leaders with Meena and Vesper being so new, and not having gotten a chance to showcase themselves. Leadership changes rather rarely once its given.”

He clenched his brow and crossed his arms. “Ettinus gave me the authority to name a leader for this team. I don’t know his reasons, as far as I know there’s never been a team leader named by anyone other than a headmaster.” He could - and had - speculated of course. The conclusion he had come to was the already unique nature of gRAVIty, that it had lost and gained members. Clearly it did not fit the more omnipresent mold. “I’m not Ettinus, and I don’t have his wisdom and foresight. But I do think that remaining under a banner of temporary leadership isn’t going to do us any favors. So we’re going to address that now, I’ve seen what I needed to.” He cleared his throat, and one by one looked across all six of them, “I think any one of you could do it. I see it in each of you.” Shir’s attention seemed to zone in on Marlowe, “But one of you has demonstrated the traits I think that this team needs in a leader, and been consistent about it.”

“Me? No no, not me.”

Shir grinned and shook his head, “No, not you Marlowe.” Though not for a lack of consideration. He changed his attention to, “As of now, you are officially the leader of gravity…” He looked into their eyes and nodded, “Meena."

[Intimate Ink]

Character Name: Vesper Cabello
Date | Time: October 18th, Late Morning (~10am)
Location: Hammer Academy - The Wilds | Grassland - Air Resonance
Wearing: Leather armor, supply sack, signature weapon
Tagging: Everyone | Mentioning:

As Vesper looked upon his food offerings and swapped and shared it among those who might wish to taste, the entire moment felt a little too poetic and poignant. Before him was a meal that looked almost too familiar, and still sublimely welcome - even soothing – to his belly. You didn’t exactly get many varieties when it came to food in the swamp; most dishes were configurations of the same small number of edible ingredients found therein. This was no different; there was duck roasted in the herbs and berries that came as close to fruit as the Crescent Swamp ever saw. There was steamed chaya, an earthy and bitter green leaf that most of Toil relegated to teas and medicinal preparations, and yet the people who populated the Crescent Swamp clung to maintaining its status as a vegetable. Wild rice was served – wild rice was always served (Vesper did have an uncle at one point who attempted to diversify the table grains by attempting a bread formed largely from smashed reed pulp, but quite unsurprisingly that never took on….)

Vesper himself may have thought that he’d have had enough of the preparations for life, and yet the moment the basket was lifted he knew that it was what he most wanted. He wanted a moment of return; the trials had worn on his mind enough that for the moment he longed for the simplicity and reliability of home. The sense of being an encroaching outsider faded away into the familiar gamey notes of the duck; the texture of the rice was a lulling preview to the softness of the pillow that he knew he’d have the chance to lay his head upon for another night. No binding to stiff posts, no being sent home.

But then… then there was something in Vesper’s basket that evoked something else entirely. There was a golden-skinned apple with a pink-fleshed interior. This was definitely not of Gorren’s Point, nor even the surrounding swamp. It was not even seen among the scant treats that were so sought after and coveted when a trade route allowed for them. No, Vesper had only seen these once in his life before and they had all but been forgotten…

He had been a mere child at the time, and yet if you asked him today, he would have encountered this apple on what may have been the best day of his life. He was in Emerald for the first time… his entire family was there. The entire day he had been amazed by wonder after wonder of the city, seeing technology and innovation that he never would have fathomed. Though his parents were somewhat removed from the going-on’s, Vesper and his brother were captivated. Towards the end of the day, Vesper’s eyes had wandered towards a farmer’s market, and among the other various strange and colorful foods they offered sat apples just like these – golden fleshed, and when the merchant cut into one to advertise her ware, the most dazzling red flesh appeared.

Vesper wanted one – he begged for one – so badly. Just one taste, just a little curiosity… the merchant overhearing the pleas of the boy offered to Vesper’s parents even offered to give them one for him. No. Vesper was told firmly, even in the face of what seemed the most outrageous generosity in Vesper’s young eyes: no. Those apples were for the tastes of city people, people like the citizens of Emerald. That was not for the taste of people like him.

It had likely been a decade, and Vesper had never quite seen an apple like that again. Until now. He held it between his palms, amber eyes studying the golden flesh. He pushed it against his noise and remembered that moment. This was his now. This was for people like him. Shir, Lindon… this apple was for people like him. They deemed it so; Vesper made it so.

Vesper caught himself blinking, finding a strange surge of wanting to finally bite the apple, but in the next moment he quickly shoved it in his pocket. It was for people like him, he determined…. And yet he couldn’t quite bite into it yet. Not just yet.

He wiped his mouth, tasting the pleasant debris of the foods that were meaningful to each of his teammates, offering them another round of his own meal – all but his apple.

Shir’s explanation of his mentor’s philosophy was a thoughtful one and given that Vesper had not been around for too long, it was not one that he found particularly difficult to accept. He gave a concerned glance at Haim for a lingering moment at Meena’s shift to team leader; it was a concern that quickly dissipated into a congratulations towards the Silenus at the recollection of his partner announcing himself as the reluctant leader. From Vesper’s perspective, Haimehen’s strategic tendencies and propensity for technology fit more with his expectations of a leader when compared to the headstrong fighter that he had talked down from initiating a search with a bar brawl mere days before. Then again, Meena had listened to Vesper despite her and Farrah’s voices outnumbering his own, so perhaps her willingness to consider all sides despite numbers spoke to both Shir’s wisdom and Meena’s own in the decision.

[shengami]

Character Name: Haimehen
Date Oct. 18 | Time: Afternoon (~10 a.m.)|
Location: Hammer Academy - The Wilds | Grassland - Fire Resonance
Wearing: Outfit, orange cap, cast w/walking boot, bandolier of cartridges, Feu and Fureur, heavy boot on healthy foot
Tagging: Meena, Farrah | Mentioning: Shir |
Haim bit into his sandwich to flush the strong spices of Meena's food before his hair started to sweat. He was no stranger to spices, not exactly, but he'd rarely ever had anything this heavily spiced. Not even Unovian cuisine was ever like this. He washed the food down with a bit of citrus juice and sighed as the sweetness relieved some of the heat. He demurred a second bit but shared other things.

Other than 'thanks' and some minor comments about the food shared, he kept silent. Shir explaining his logic was appreciated by Haim. He could see the logic and accept it as the path that had made sense to Shir. Even if he disagreed in a few places. Well, he bit his lip and looked up at the trees, he wasn't certain he disagreed with Shir as much as the Academy on certain points. He supposed that the process of forming teams had soem form of mechanism to it, some system. After all, it had appeared to be successful more often than not. He'd seen some of the other teams working together. All were still going through the rocky process of forming a team. For six near perfect strangers thrown together at the drop of a hat, he supposed that was expected. To expect them, after Dazzle and Dust, to be able to navigate that had been wishful thinking, perhaps. They'd all but lost two weeks recovering and there was still work to be done.

But he smiled. He also had assumed the same about his temporary promotion. Unfortunately, it had been a week only and there had been not strategy that he was aware of for leadership. In fact, he suspected that not notion of leadership existing had been part of what did them in at Dazzle and Dust. Either they had gotten a slow start in the team building process or had been normal and not ready for the situation. The latter seemed the most likely.

Still, being out from under the onus of leadership was relieving. A pressure had removed itself from his mind. A stress evacuated his body. He might had the qualities needed to lead a team, but not this team. He watched a leaf detach from the tree and ride the wind as it fell. It landed near Meena and he smirked. He raised the juice to his lip again and eyed it silently. An idea sparked in his mind looking at it and he smiled slowly and softly. There weren't a lot of things he wanted to say to Meena but it would probably be best, at some point, to make sure she knew that she had his support.

He sighed relief and consider what he might be able to use that free time to build. He still had the gravity bomb to fabricate. He also wanted to work on a couple other things. He had ideas for new cartridge housings which meant he would need arcanite. But perhaps he could jut get it delivered this time? Yes, he was looking forward to the next part of his training. He gaze across the group to Meena and raised his bottle in salute.

He then looked sideways at Farrah's meal and blinked, "God of Light! You could feed five!"

[Aethyrium]

Character Name: Marlowe “Lolo” Ashe
Date | Time: October 18th | Late Morning  (~10am)
Location: Hammer Academy - The Wilds
Wearing: Black and white tux w/ open face undershirt, stylized bra, asymmetrical untied bowtie, and thick heels
Tagging | Mentioning: Haim, Lyra | Farrah
Not only was that a joke, it was the same kind that Marlowe had shared that one night. Marlowe beamed with delight and squeezed Lyra’s hands back.

Lolo remembered what Haim was talking about, but the actual name of it was past her. Much like the name of Farrah’s home town, all she remembered was the vague sounds of it… Coordinate something or another. She remembered it was like farmland though! Or represented farmland? It definitely had something to do with farmland. Regardless she took a piece of the sandwich that was offered and eyed with the same suspicion that she’d given the sauerkraut. That wouldn’t stop her from trying though. So she did, and she felt mostly the same way about it as the kraut - it wasn’t bad, she’d describe it as odd at best, but it wasn’t something she’d reach for either. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about snuggles.” She reminded him after swallowing down her bite.

Farrah and Meena’s dishes went down much better. Normally Lolo wouldn’t have shared - everyone had their own, that was weird - but since it seemed like that was the thing to do she offered vaguely. Not that her meal seemed as special as any of theirs. Speaking in comparison, it was absolutely every bit as pleasant to her. She took Lyra’s bit of Haim’s sandwich while he was paying attention to Farrah, grinned at her partner and popped it into her mouth - evidence gone. He’d never know. She winked at Lyra and nommed through it. It made sense that Meena didn’t know what was up, but Farrah offering Lyra meat was surprising. Had she been the only one to take notice of Lyra’s vegetarianism? Anything that people offered her that she wasn’t interested in, Lolo stole just to make sure it wasn’t awkward.

Shir’s explanation made sense, she supposed. Like he lacked Ettinus’ wisdom, she accepted that she lacked his. She trusted his experience though - why have an academy to teach people things if the students knew better than the teachers? That didn’t make much sense. No, Lolo had no reason to believe the system was flawed - after all, how long had it been working?

What she didn’t expect was the talk of leadership. She supposed the headmaster did say Haim’s position was temporary, but she really hadn’t put any thought into that. Much like when Namid had been named leader, Marlowe just had relief that it wasn’t her and had been happy to follow suit. Haim could have remained leader as far as she was concerned. But as Shir’s eyes made their way to her, her eyes widened. Her? She shook her head, “Me?” That was a terrible idea. She didn’t want it! She wasn’t going to be any good at it, either. “No no,” She laughed awkwardly, “Not me.” And to her great relief, it wasn’t. She didn’t feel even a little bad about it. If not her, and not Haim, who? Did Marlowe care? Who should it be? Did she have a favorite? It would have been easy for it to be Lyra, for her, because she was already happy and used to following her partner’s lead.

That it fell to Meena was unexpected - mainly because in her head it had to be one of the original four. She had subconsciously figured that neither newcomer was valid for it. Not because they couldn’t or she doubted them just… Well, timing. How did Haim feel? Marlowe glanced at the elf to her left and scanned him, watching that subtle change in him. Better than she thought he might. Good. She was proud of him, for that, she thought. The more she thought about it, the more she approved of Shir’s choice. Meena had glue-like energy, like her, that she thought the team would benefit from… But Meena was smarter than she was. In a lot of ways, she figured, Meena was her just better. That was irritating, but those were thoughts for not now. “Well at least you won’t have any trouble seeing where we should go all the way up there.” Marlowe teased. She leaned forward and stretched, placing a hand on Meena’s knee, “Just don’t think it applies in private.” Lolo winked.

[Crash]

Character Name: Meena Tor
Date | Time: 10.18.1322 | Late Morning
Location: Hammer Academy - The Wilds | Grassland – This post is still in Air Resonance (Next will be in Fire)
Wearing: Green camo cargo pants, black long-sleeved synthetic weave zip-up over a black crop top and puffy black vest with snap on fur trimmed hood and hidden pockets, and Black combat boots
Tagging | Mentioning: Shir, Lindon, Gravity
Meena sat with the others as some passed around the foods of their homeland to try. Meena would take a small portion of the meal and pass it on when offered. No offense was taken if anyone passed on a sample of her homeland’s food. It was not for everyone. Meena had noticed in the cafeteria that Lyra never ate meat. It had come as a surprise at the time. Her clan had no vegetarians, so it had stood out to her. There was naan if Lyra wished; if not, that was okay. 

Sample and pass. Sample and pass. When a food did not sit with her pallet, she did her best to not show it, not wanting to offend. The manners of the Tors would forever pattern her behavior. Though she added a mental note here and there about what dishes to avoid and which she wished to sample again in the future. The food was as varied as her team members. A reminder about how far they had come and how much they had sacrificed to get here. Meena wasn’t sure if Shir had meant it that way, but it was thoughts like those that found their way into Meena’s brain as she enjoyed the afterglow of the successful trial and the revelation of the team remaining intact.   

Meena listened to the others ask their questions. Keeping her thoughts to herself. Mostly, those thoughts were ones of relief and happiness.

She had been upset at Shir. Angry even. But Meena had always been quick to forgive. Shir’s reasoning was sound. Not a method she would have chosen, but she wasn’t the leader and certainly not a mentor, so what did she know? It had worked for now. Perhaps most significant to Meena was that Shir was committing to them now as an active participant. That felt important to her. 

It was Lyra’s tone that caught Meena’s attention more than anything. Had Shir thought they were a lost cause? Meena set aside her food for a moment to listen to Shir’s answer, and his silence concerned her until Lindon broke it with a quip that had Meena snort out a laugh.

Meena hadn’t gotten the chance to talk to Sumina about what a Mentor was and what they did. The name itself is somewhat self-explanatory while at the same time leaving out so much. Meena folded her hands into her lap and focused on the man who would become a formative piece of their lives over the next few years.
 
Meena hadn’t understood the pressure a Mentor was under. The responsibility they felt. She could understand not wanting to commit so much of himself if there wasn’t enough there to commit to. Had he been easy. Had he done it all for them and they were set out into the real world on their own. Well, that wouldn’t likely end well now, would it? Then what? We would be dead, most likely. And Shir would have to live with that loss. Meena found a new respect growing for not only Shir, but for all mentors.

As the conversation switched from Shir to Ettinus and leadership, Meena’s expression grew curious and slightly confused. Meena had assumed their leader was Haim and would stay that way. The fact that Shir was changing it came as a surprise. Meena glanced at Haim, who appeared as stoic as always or had since she had arrived. Like others, Meena figured the mantle of leadership would fall to one of the remaining original team members, so when Shir’s eyes fell on Lolo, Meena was overjoyed.

Meena couldn’t think of a better person than Lolo. She really was the glue that had held the team together, and she was the one to sacrifice herself for her partner. As much as she began to protest Shir’s decision, Meena felt it was spot on.

“Meena.”

She had been so intent on watching Lolo’s reaction to the news that she hadn’t seen Shir turn towards her. 

“Who-na?” Meena hadn’t intended to say that out loud, as her head swung back to see Shir looking directly at her and nodding.

“Mee-na?” she asked. Seeing the answer reflected on his face. Meena blinked once. Twice.

“Whoa,” she breathed, her head reeling at what had just happened. Meena didn’t scream or yell. She didn’t protest or cry. She just sat there in stunned silence as the enormity of the promotion sank in. Orange eyes, flecked with brown, looked up towards Haim. How would he feel? She hadn’t intended to be picked. The thought had never even crossed her mind. She caught his eye and watched him lift his bottle in salute, and she smiled, returning it with a nod. Meena looked at each of the others in turn. Vesper. Brooding and quiet but gentle and caring. His thoughts challenging to read. Diminutive Lyra. Smart and fiery.

Her eyes turned to Lolo, who was sitting to her right, ready to break the levity of the situation with a joke at Meena’s expense. She should have expected what came next, but Shir’s decision was still so fresh in her head that the soft hand on her knee caught her off guard, and the words made a dusty rose color her cheek.

‘Darn it. She got me.’ Meena covered Lolo’s hand and shook her head with a rueful smile. She was reasonably sure Lolo had decided to make a game out of getting that blush to show, which isn’t easy. She turned to her left, to her partner. Farrah. They had started all this off pretty rocky but quickly grew into a team, into friends.

How was she going to feel about all of this?

[Envious]

Character Name: Farrah Tinkerspan
Date | Time: 10.18.1322 | afternoon
Location: Hammer Academy - The Wilds
Wearing: As pictured
Tagging | Mentioning: Meena, Shir, Lindon | Gravity
Notes:
Farrah caught the look of both men who listened as she spoke with Haimehen; both were curious things that seemed at odds with each other, but the unique reactions were not remarked upon as she finished up her little speech to Haim. Farrah grabbed a napkin and started to clean her hands, slowly working across each finger to do as good a job as was possible in the moment. Why had Shir chosen Lindon to come today? Was it because their mentor was looking for a different perspective? While Shir seemed content to watch and listen quietly, Lindon had no problem speaking out and sharing his thoughts. There was clear respect and cooperation between them even if their personalities seemed to be different at this brief juncture. Suddenly, Farrah was very interested in their dynamic and perhaps projecting some of her hopes and woes upon them. That look of aspiration was not subtle as she looked to a certain teammate as Shir explained himself, but as she turned her attention back to their mentor, Vesper caught her eye.

She perked in recognition and opened her mouth to say something, but the way he tenderly held that piece of fruit had her hesitate. She didn’t quite know what she was watching, but she understood that it was personal. Before the man could catch her staring, Farrah found herself grabbing an apple tart - made from the same type of apple Vesper had in his hands. She wasn’t one to be patient, so she began mulling over the words to pester him about it in a light-hearted way, but Shir’s tone pulled her back to the conversation.

A new leader? Farrah was not surprised - Haim had done nothing in his interim capacity to indicate that he was suited for the position. Namid had faltered. Haim had not grown to fit the role. Lyra and Lolo were just bad choices. Vesper and Meena had been the most likely candidates right from the start! When Meena turned to Farrah, the elf smiled.

”Mine heart sure do swell with pride,” she said with a wide smile and thumped her chest chest twice before pointing to the silenus. ”My honor to be under your charge ‘n what credit you do for those back home who saw the Grandmother ‘n yer bones. Expect a proper congratulations after I’ve had me some shut-eye and a good think.” She leaned into her partner, arm to arm in a show of support. What others did or did not say was quietly noted to bring up at another time.

"You two on a team together or somethin'?" she asked. It was for both Shir and Lindon, but she looked at the blonde assuming he'd be more likely to answer.

[FyreFoxx]

Character Name: Lyreilynn "Lyra" Xyrven Myalis
Date | Time: October 18th | Late Morning  (~10am)
Location: Hammer Academy - The Wilds
Wearing: Light blue wrap blouse, dark blue skirt, light blue belted sash, low-heeled laced boots
Tagging | Mentioning: Marlowe, Meena | Lindon, Farrah, Haimehen, Namid, Vesper
Commitment issues. That had been the reason she, and Marlowe, had been given as to Shir’s absence in their training. Why did it irk her so to learn that? Hadn’t that been part of the job of mentor from the start? If he had issues with that, then why take on the role at all? If he was so afraid of commitments, then he shouldn’t have been there in the first place. Lyra stuffed a sauteed slice of zucchini between her lips, chewing quietly, angrily even, chopsticks held aloft over another piece ready to pry it free from the bento and savor another slice. But she didn’t, staring down at her lap instead, like she was looking at something else far away.
 
Hadn’t she been the same, however? She had come to Hammer with these lofty ideals of becoming a champion on her own terms, but what had she accomplished? She was so used to being on her own and doing things all by herself, but the very nature of this academy was rooted in teamwork and cooperation. They had partners assigned day one and squads formed later of two more sets of partners, people she was supposed to room and train with for the next four years. And what had she done about any of that except push them all away? It was just easier that way, wasn’t it? To handle things by herself and think it was for the best, to not rely on anyone else because then you don’t have to be disappointed in them, or have them be disappointed in you.
 
How could she damn Shir for his lack of commitment to their squad when she had done the very same thing? Sure, she was present physically, but mentally? Emotionally? No, she was very distant. Lolo had started to crack those walls down pretty early on, and today had probably shattered them, much like that sonic bomb had shattered their defenses. Lyra glanced to her side where Marlowe was sitting and gave her a gentle smile. If she could let her partner in, then perhaps she could let the others, too. Meena wasn’t a bad person. In fact, she was just as cheery as Marlowe and her plants intrigued the little elf. Vesper had a unique take on amacara that was foreign to her. Haimehen’s knowledge of arcanite was different and more methodical than hers. And Farrah. Well, she’d eventually get to Farrah.
 
Lyra quietly listened to the rest of Shir’s explanation as she brought another part of her meal to her lips – this time a small bundle of bean sprouts, a familiar taste of home so far away. Everything had been a test from the start, and they failed every step of the way. They had started to get along the first couple of days, but ever since that incident at Dazzle & Dust, things just got worse from there. Shir was right; they had fractured. Anyone with eyes could see it and more than one of them had refused to talk to the others to get things out in the open and handle feelings. Lyra might have been the worst contender, keeping her distance even from the two not involved.
 
A gentle sigh escaped her, closing her eyes as she continued to eat her meal in peace. Whenever someone tried to offer her a piece of theirs, she respectfully declined, or Marlowe swooped in to save her the trouble. Her partner had given her a wink at the first sign of destruction of evidence, and Lyra held back a chuckle at her antics, a light bump of her shoulder against Marlowe’s. Really, she didn’t think she could have made it this far without that woman. It was strange but still comforting. She truly was the heart of their team. Anyone could see that.
 
Eyeing the others around her, Lyra felt a bit awkward that she seemed to be the only one not sharing anything. She couldn’t understand their need to share when the meals were tailored to each person’s palate. Silvery eyes focused on the bento box in her lap, before looking at her teammates and the pair of mentors nearby. Sharing food just felt wrong to her. It was too… Well, too intimate! Besides, did she even have anything worth sharing? She had shared her crackers earlier, did that count? Well, offered, since most declined it. The only thing she did take was one of Meena’s cookies, opting for the more sweet variety, munching on it with a pleasant hum. Small things like this were easily shared and generally meant to be, unlike how most of the others offered pieces of their meal, like Haimehen’s torn chunks of his sandwich.
 
Another glance down at her meal, pursing her lips together between bites of her cookie until it was devoured. Would the others think her strange or rude if she didn’t share? She hadn’t taken anything of theirs, either, well, except the cookie from Meena. Would they be disappointed in her? Lyra frowned, her thoughts getting muddled as she tried to figure out this predicament, before something Shir said brought her attention back to focus on her mentor.
 
A new team leader? The dainty elf snapped her gaze on the male elf to the other side of Marlowe, then back to Shir. Haimehen was already named as their team leader, wasn’t he? Wait, no, that wasn’t right. He had been assigned as interim leader due to Namid’s absence, because he had been her partner. And now here was Shir proclaiming that the headmaster had given him permission to assign a more permanent leader in his stead.
 
She watched with anticipation as he scanned over each of them, her breath hitching in her throat. Any one of them could be picked this time, including the two new arrivals, couldn’t they? Haimehen would have been her choice, even if she still had some unresolved personal issues with the man, but he had the upbringing and knowhow to manage a team, but perhaps not the resolve? He faltered when it counted and even he didn’t want the position. Lyra refused to even allow herself to think she was a candidate. She didn’t want that responsibility. Sure, let her lead on her own and call her own shots, but when it came to having others follow her? She wasn’t up for that, especially after everything that had happened in the past, all the mistakes that had been caused by her own hands.
 
Then what of the others? Immediately her eyes fell upon her partner as Shir’s did, and Marlowe started stuttering her refusal of the chance to be named leader, something that Shir seemed to pick up on and mimic. If not Haimehen, then Marlowe would have been her next choice, her trust in the woman hardly faltering since day one. But she didn’t want it, was unsure of herself just as much as Lyra was of her own self. The elf reached down to take her partner’s hand and give it a gentle squeeze of reassurance just as Shir named Meena as their new captain.
 
The elf looked towards the Silenus that towered over the smallest member of their team. Meena had been a bright spot ever since she arrived, like a ray of sunshine peeking through the dreary storm clouds. True, she hadn’t spent any real time around the woman, but perhaps now was a good time to change that. Now was a good chance for a lot of change, it seemed.
 
“Congratulations, Meena,” Lyra offered the cheery woman. Like Marlowe, she had an infectious personality. Shir had his reasons for naming her as leader among the rest of them.
 
Perhaps this was exactly what Gravity needed. A breath of fresh air. This was the perfect time for all of them to turn over a new leaf, and who better than under the leadership of one whose entire goal was to nurture?