Sydney Pather was a lot of things.

Most commonly, she was in charge of the medical team at the Venator Academy, patching up students that came in from missions, or training accidents, or all manner of weapon mishandlings.

However, since those fortunately weren’t too common, she also functioned as the academy’s Relationship Councillor. Due to the structure of the team system, intimate relationships were bound to occur, and naturally, lead to some tension here and there.

Pather loved what she did, every part of it. But, comparing the two…

“Harley, just talk to me.”

“I am talking. This is what talking looks like.”

“Nuh uh! Talking’s better than this.”

“Well, it has to be from both of us!”

…the medical work was far more rewarding.

Pather slowly rubbed her forehead in frustration, watching as Harley and Sola argued in circles around each other, struggling to come to any kind of understanding.

“What did I do? I don’t even know why you’re mad.” Sola confessed, as Harley turned away from her.

“Well, you should know already. I shouldn’t have to tell you.” Harley said, with Pather on the sidelines, spinning her pen impressively in her offhand.

This is getting nowhere. Pather thought.

“Alright, can we focus things again?” Pather insisted, leaning forward in her seat. “Now, Harley, how do you feel right now?”

“Angry.” Harley pouted.

Pather waved her hand. “Can you be a bit more specific?”

Harley huffed. “I just…I think we’re going really fast, and Sola doesn’t think we are, and I don’t think she’s listening.”

Sola puffed up her cheeks. “I’m listening! I listen all the tim-“

Pather raised her hand to interrupt, as Sola quieted herself. “Sola, how do you feel?”

“I feel…” Sola started, looking to Harley’s back. “…like I don’t know why we’re fighting.”

“I’ve already sai-“ Harley let out, as Pather shut her down too.

Pather urged Sola on, as Sola worked up the nerve.

“And I think we could work through this a bit better if you were clearer with how you feel.” Sola succinctly put, as Harley ran her head through her hands.

“But I just told you! Pather.” Harley complained. “Why’re we doing this if it’s not even working? You’re supposed to be a therapist.”

“I’m not a therapist, I’m a councillor.” Pather pointed out, waving her pen around. “Alright, we’re going to do a word association game to get some things out in the open.”

Pather turned to Harley. “What word comes to mind when you think of Sola? 3, 2, 1...”

“...cute.” Harley mumbled, visibly embarrassed, as she tried to hide herself from Sola.

“Okay.” Pather said, turning to Sola. “What word comes to mind when you think of Harley? 3, 2, 1...”

“Bad...with words.” Sola answered, as Harley looked offended.

“That’s like thr-”

“Harley, Sola’s talking right now.” Pather mediated, as she wrote a couple notes down. “So, you might shorten that to ‘reserved?’”

“Yeah.” Sola agreed, pointing to Harley. “Cause she’s bad with words.”

Harley sank into her chair, as she muttered to herself. “...cause she’s bad with words...”

Sola glared at Harley, as Harley decided to glare back at her, all while Pather had to watch on, feeling her stress slowly build up.

“I know this is supposed to be about airing out your dirty laundry.” Pather remarked, sitting up. “But it doesn’t work if you’re both feeling too hostile.”

Pather leaned back in her chair. “I’m gonna schedule another session in a few days. I want you to spend some time apart to cool off and come back later to work things through, okay?”

“But we live in the same dorm.” Sola pointed out, as Pather waved her pen around.

“I’m sure you can work something out.” Pather said. “Okay?”

Harley nodded firmly, as Sola decided to nod as well, letting Pather dismiss both of them, leaving her alone with her slowly growing headache.

“Ugghhh…what a session to have first thing in the morning…” Pather groaned.

Pather was a lot of things, and patient was her most admirable.

“It’s not a big deal! I’m allowed to be mad sometimes.”

“Not when it’s for no reason! You have to tell me these things!”

“I can’t just broadcast my feelings whenever I have them. It’s not that easy.”

“Then make it easier! I’m just…”

Sola stamped her foot out in the hallway, as Harley stopped walking.

“Come on.”

“Don’t come on! If you can be mad, I can be mad!” Sola complained, just as the two reached the team’s room, carrying their fighting into the dorm as well.

“You don’t get to be mad! I’m in the right here!” Harley yelled, causing Julia to jump to attention at the sudden increase in noise.

“Well, I don’t know why you’re mad, so who’s to say I’m not right?” Sola pointed out, grabbing Essex’s attention as well.

Wess quickly emerged from the bathroom to catch the tail end of the commotion, just as Harley quickly stormed into it, with Sola hiding herself away in the team study too.

The trio was left flabbergasted at what was going on, as Julia looked at both closed doors.

“Oh boy…” She let out. “I guess going to see Pather didn’t help too much…”

“They appear to be worse off than before.” Essex noted. “Are these the desired results of counselling?”

“Far from it.” Wess clarified. “But this is exactly why there’s a stigma around team members dating. It’s only trouble further down the line…”

“Wasn’t there that team that were all in a polyamorous relationship? I think they got into a big fight later in their career and had to split up.” Julia recalled, as Wess nodded along.

“Oh yes, Team All-Weather.” Wess recalled. “I’m pretty sure the saying at the time was ‘All-Weather, all-together.”

“Yeah. I felt pretty bad for them…” Julia said, sighing out.

“I would hope Harley and Sola will have this under control while we investigate Faller.” Essex expressed, before a sudden door slam rang through the room.

“And another thing!” Sola started up again, coming out of the study, just as Harley came back into the main room too. “If I wanna frazzle your hair, I should be able to do it!”

“No way!” Harley yelled. “I like it how it is!”

“But it’s already super messy!” Sola yelled back. “It wouldn’t look any different!”

“It’s not messy! It’s got a very particular style!” Harley responded, turning to Julia and grabbing her shoulder. “You agree with me, right Julia?”

“Huh?”

“Exactly, she totally gets it.” Harley bragged, just as Sola moped and looked to a terrified Essex, before pulling her over too.

“Well, ESSEX thinks hair stuff is super romantic, right?” Sola insisted, as Essex looked away.

“I do not wis-“

“Yeah, there you go!” Sola taunted, as Harley decided to end it by dragging Julia out of the dorm, with Julia just going along with it.

“Well, since Julia’s way cooler than you, I’ll just hang out with her until our next session!” Harley yelled, slamming the door behind her.

“Fine! I’ll hang out with Essex!” Sola responded, only confusing Essex further, as she was dragged into the study with her, leaving Wess standing alone in the middle of the room.

“…I’m on a team of morons.” Wess groaned, pinching her nose. “You might just get away with it, Faller.”

Wess decided to leave the room and take advantage of Faller’s limited free time, putting on and readjusting her visibly large backpack, before feeling a pair of eyes on her from around the corner.

She thought little of it, until the presence kept up for just a little too long, causing her to glare off to the side with a noticeably threatening aura.

The eyes jumped suddenly, before the person they were attached to fell over, revealing themselves to be Lenin.

Wess sighed out. “Lenin, what were you doing?”

“Sorry. I was trying to be stealthy.” Lenin apologised, dusting himself off. “I heard about some secret plan to investigate Faller, but I didn’t want to interrupt.”

Wess froze stiff, watching as Lenin straightened out his clothes before he looked up curiously.

“It’s not a secret, is it?” Lenin asked, as Wess froze again.

“H-How did yo-“

“The dorm walls aren’t as thick as you’d want them to be.” Lenin admitted, banging on Team Vanguard's wall as an example. “I overheard you guy a few days ago.”

“H-Hello? Who is that?”

“Sorry, Nathaniel. Just proving a point.” Lenin called back, before facing Wess again. “Anyway, oops. I’ll leave you to you-“

“Actually, wait, hold on.” Wess said, raising her hand. “Your help might be appreciated…”

Lenin stayed where he was.

“Considering most of the team is caught up in Harley and Sola’s lovers quarrel…” Wess muttered to herself, tapping her chin. “And it might be dangerous to head there alone…”

Lenin looked even more confused than he was before, until Wess got his attention again and continued down the hall.

“If you want to accompany, then I’ll explain on the way.” Wess said, watching as Lenin jogged to catch up with her. “Just…a heads up. This won’t be a pleasant trip.”

Lenin held his fist out in front of her. “Let’s do it.”

Wess reluctantly fist-bumped him, as they made their way to the academy Flash-Rail station.

———

Pather took her time down the hall, appreciating the peace and quiet after her first session of the day, as she passed through a few of the halls in the main building lit up by the morning sun.

“Ah, Sydney!”

Pather noticed Principal Faller coming down the hall toward her, as she waved back welcomingly.

“Faller. Where’re you off to today?” Pather asked, as Faller pointed downward.

“Since I’ve got the day to myself, I’m catching up on a prior engagement.” Faller said, giving a thumbs up. “I just came in to finish up a few things. How’s the day been for you?”

Pather passed her clipboard between her hands idly. “I started with a very noisy session where almost no progress was made, so that was demoralising.”

“Your academy thanks you.” Faller remarked, as Pather gave a limp laugh.

“If you want to actually thank me, a raise wouldn’t b-“

“Oh no, is that the time?” Faller ‘realised,’ indicating to his watch. “If I stick around, I’ll lose the whole day. Sorry.”

Pather bit the inside of her cheek, as Faller tried to sidestep her as best he could. She watched as he walked away, before noticing Harley coming back down the hall toward her and instinctively ducking into a nearby classroom.

“Oh, great…just what I needed…” She let out, sliding against the wall and checking the corner, as Harley passed by the classroom, loudly professing her problems to Julia beside her.

“It’s just…ugh!” Harley bemoaned. “Why does it have to be so hard?! I want it to be great between us, but she’s making it difficult!”

Julia didn’t really know how to respond and simply nodded back, as Harley continued her rant.

“Like, it is so unreasonable to ask for a bit of space?” Harley rhetorically asked, before looking to Julia, as she realised it wasn’t rhetorical.

“…no?”

“Exactly!” Harley exclaimed, turning sharply in the hall, as Julia struggled to keep up. “And don’t get me wrong, I’m not one of those people that’s all ‘only hand holding until marriage,’ but there’s still gotta be a line, right?”

Harley turned to Julia again, as she looked to side awkwardly.

“…yes?”

“Exactly!” Harley let out, running her hands over her face, as students passing by gave her curious looks. “If I’m not careful, this is gonna be Chops all over again.”

“Did I hear the sultry sound of my own name?” Chops spoke up, having just arrived behind the duo, as Harley continued her ranting.

“Speak of the devil!” Harley said. “Chops, can you tell Julia why we broke up?”

Chops looked to a very confused Julia, before giving her attention back to Harley. “Do you want my version or your version?”

“My vers…” Harley started, before correcting herself. “I mean the right version.”

Chops rolled her eyes and addressed Julia. “Well, according to Harley, we broke up because we were going our separate ways. I wanted this, she wanted that, and we couldn’t make it work.”

Julia looked to Harley. “And you’re worried this will happen with Sola?”

“Yeah.” Harley said, huffing out. “And it’s gonna be even more awkward since we’re on the same team. I don’t want to…break up and have to see her all the time afterwards. That’d suck for all of us.”

“Yikes.” Julia realised. “I guess the stigma about Venators dating is pretty serious.”

“But I won’t let that happen! This is just another fight, and I win fights no matter what!” Harley exclaimed, charging down the hall to nowhere in particular.

“Hey, Harley! Before you go, I need some help with a project! Can you come over tomorrow afternoon?” Chops yelled out.

“Okay!!!” Harley shouted, before rounding the corner, forgetting she was meant to be hanging out with Julia.

“By the by, Harley’s so wrong about why we broke up. Two words.” Chops said, holding up her fingers. “Commitment issues.”

“Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me.” Julia noted, scratching her neck. “Hey, can you give me some pointers on how to help her through this? I hate seeing her and Sola in such bad moods.”

Chops laughed a bit awkwardly. “If I knew how to help, we probably wouldn’t have broken up.”

“Oh, yeah…” Julia realised, blushing. “Da doy.”

“Julia! Where’d you go?” Harley called out, as Julia’s spine jumped. “We’ve gotta hang!”

“Chops, please help.” Julia begged, as Chops quickly ran away.

“You’re on your own! I’m not getting caught up in this!” She let out, disappearing up the nearby stairwell, as Harley appeared suddenly behind Julia.

“There you are! I thought you were still following me.” Harley admitted. “Come on, we’re going to the bar so I can forget my woes.”

“Help me Whilit, please…” Julia gasped, before Harley dragged her away, most likely to keep talking her ear off about this and that.

———

“And then she keeps going on about this and that!” Sola complained, stomping around the study, before realising the study wasn’t large enough for her to stomp around in it. “I need a mug.”

Essex watched as Sola fished around in one of the closet drawers for her mug collection, before grabbing one of the numerous ones stored in there.

She quickly hurried to the kitchen to fill it up, giving Essex the briefest hope she could escape the study and leave, only for Sola to come back near instantly and dash her hopes.

“I’m trying to love her, but she’s making it really difficult!” Sola complained, taking a swig of water. “Why can’t she tell me? We’ve already known each other for years!”

Essex tried to manoeuvre herself on her bed. “It would technically only be a year and a half.”

“That still counts!” Sola yelled again, taking a bigger swig. “There’s no reason to be so closed off!”

“It may be difficult for her to discuss these personal matters.” Essex reasoned. “Do you not know how you offended her?”

Sola shook her head grumpily. “Cause she wouldn’t tell me!”

“Is there anything that has occurred recently that might have spurred it on?”

Sola thought about it, before lifting her head. “We were going to study together, but I had to cancel for a shift at Virgil’s shop. Do you think it was that?”

Essex blinked. “Did she seem mad about it?”

“No.” Sola answered. “But maybe it was a delayed thing. Like, she got mad thinking about it.”

Essex looked to the side. “If that’s the case, then it would appear you’re in the right.”

“Exactly!” Sola exclaimed, finishing off her drink. “I’m getting a refill!”

Sola stormed off to the kitchen, letting Essex plan her escape once more, only to be thwarted again by Sola’s surprisingly quick return speed.

“I need to get her to admit she’s wrong!” Sola demanded. “Then we’ll be happy again!”

Are you sure of that? Essex thought, as she watched Sola clean out her mug.

“I may have a suggestion.” Essex said, grabbing Sola’s attention. “Would it not be smart to admit you’re wrong, even if you’re not wrong?”

“I’m not doing that! Screw that!” Sola complained. “Why would I admit it when I’m so not wrong?”

“I am not saying you accept it yourself. But if you were to apologise, Harley might divulge why she is upset.” Essex pointed out, as Sola thought it through. “My apologies if this will not work. I do not have experience with romance.”

Sola bit her lip, before shaking her head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. That’d still be accepting I screwed up, even if I know I didn’t!”

Sola chugged the rest of her mug. “But I won’t let that happen! This is just another fight, and I promised to win those from now on!”

Sola looked back down at her mug, before huffing out. “I’m going to the bathroom!”

Sola quickly ducked off to the bathroom, as Essex finally found an out, using the opportunity to leave the dorm room quietly, just as she heard Sola calling out to her inside.

“Essex? Where’d you go?”

Essex sprinted away, leaving the dorms as soon as she could, only to accidentally run into someone else coming the opposite way, knocking her over.

Pather rubbed her forehead, now hurting from her constant headache and the fall, as Essex quickly got up, bowed in apology, and continued running.

Pather tried to make sense of the situation, before hearing a voice calling from down the hall and shuddering.

“Essex? Are you out here? I wasn’t done planning with you!”

“Seriously?!” Pather groaned to herself, ducking just out of sight in a nearby stairwell, as Sola passed her by. “Why can’t I just avoid my patients? I don’t need to deal with this shit outside of business hours…”

Pather was a lot of things, and stealthy was her most surprising.

———

Lenin’s mouth was agape, as Wess finished up her explanation of everything that had gone down over the last year and few months.

“Uhh…” He said, leaning back in his train seat. “Wow. You guys have been through a lot.”

“Tell me about it…” Wess lamented. “There’s something going on here, and frankly, I’m worried we might be the only ones who can do something about it.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Lenin let out, readjusting his hat. “Just so I’m clear, you think…”

“That Principal Faller is Wicker.” Wess finished.

“And Wicker is…?”

“Very bad news.” Wess finished again, getting a head nod from Lenin. “And, understandably, we don’t want anyone else to know about this. That means you can’t let the rest of Team Vanguard in on it either.”

“I wouldn’t put them in danger like that.” Lenin promised. “And don’t worry. I’m damn good with secrets.”

I’ll take your word on that. Wess thought, as Lenin stared out the window.

“So, Wi-“ Lenin said, before stopping himself. “I mean Faller’s in the city.”

This was a horrible mistake. Wess realised, trying to keep her composure. “Yes. Today’s his day off, so we won’t have to worry about surveillance from the academy, or about him being interrupted. Apparently, he’s heading to the city centre to do some shopping.”

“Malicious shopping, no doubt.” Lenin said bitterly.

Wess ignored the comment and focused on breathing. “Can you please take this seriously? We don’t know how dangerous he can be, and I’d feel much more assured if you weren’t making quips.”

“Oh, sorry.” Lenin said, gazing awkwardly. “After you, uhh, explained all that, I started to get a bit nervous…”

Lenin looked a bit forlorn, as the cityscape started to pass by the train window. “I was just thinking about how the rest of Vanguard reacted after the attacks on the academy, everyone was all jittery and worried…Saxin was really shaken up…just thinking that they might have been manufactured by the guy running the place feels gross…”

Wess started to remember how Team Valiant was as well, especially how Julia was right after Florey left.

“And then Florey left, and it got really weird for a…” Lenin continued, before noticing Wess thinking to herself. “Sorry, I’m talking your head off.”

Wess lifted her head back up. “No, I was…it doesn’t really matter. Look.”

The Flash-Rail’s doors opened, as people from the city poured in, just as Wess and Lenin got out, looking around the packed and animated city centre.

Wess struggled to navigate her large backpack through the new crowd, as Lenin managed to clear a path for her until they were off the street and out of the noise.

“What’s with the backpack?” Lenin asked, as Wess adjusted its weight.

Wess scowled as it dug into her. “Well, since we’re not professional Venators yet…we can’t go carrying our weapons around outside of the academy.”

Lenin nodded along. “Okay.”

It took him a second, as Wess gave him an incredulous look, before he suddenly got it.

“No way…is Belvedere in there?” Lenin asked, as Wess quickly shooshed him.

“Don’t just blurt it out! What if someone hears you?” Wess complained.

Lenin rolled his eyes. “How many people would hear the name ‘Belvedere’ and think it’s a sword?”

“…touché.” Wess admitted. “But don’t draw attention to it. If I get caught with it here, we’ll be in trouble.”

“Now I’m thinking I should’ve brought my claws.” Lenin lamented, stretching his fingers. “And my cloak.”

Yes, very inconspicuous. Wess thought to herself, as the duo headed to the city centre, glancing around them for any sign of Faller, only to come up short.

“We might be here a while. Faller isn’t exactly the mos-“

“He’s over there.” Lenin pointed out, indicating to a bustling alley way just off the city centre, stunning Wess.

She now noticed Faller heading down the alley, dressed in far more casual clothes than she normally saw him in, looking around himself a bit sheepishly.

Wess indicated for Lenin to follow her to the alleyway, as they stood just outside the entrance, watching as Faller looked around at the various stores littering the lane.

“Alright. We’re approaching in a subtle manner.” Wess said. “It would just be weird for two students to greet him out of nowhere.”

“Don’t worry. I can handle this.” Lenin insisted, giving a very confident thumbs up, as worse case scenarios flashed across Wess’ mind.

Lenin worked his way through the crowd and walked over to Faller casually, before suddenly patting him on the back.

“Hey, Wi-I mean, Faller! What a shock to see you here!” Lenin let out, getting little reaction from Faller, before he gave another thumbs up to Wess.

What’s that supposed to mean? Wess thought, deciding to rescue this trainwreck, just as Faller moved away from Lenin.

“Ugh, oh, Lenin Diggs.” Faller let out, before Wess joined his side. “And Miss Nouvel. What a surprise to see you here.”

“Apologies for Lenin’s behaviour, we just weren’t expecting to find you out and about.” Wess explained, subtly stepping in front of Lenin. “I hope we weren’t interrupting any well-laid plans.”

“Plans?” Faller asked, as Wess patted herself on the back for her clever wordplay.

That’s how it’s done. Wess said, smugly staring at Lenin, who struggled to read the expression.

“No, I was looking for somewhere to eat. Dulce recommended a place nearby.” Faller explained, which only disappointed Wess. “I was a bit worried Ferris might have followed me, but I think I truly have a day to myself.”

Faller spotted what looked to be the restaurant and ran to check it out, as Wess looked glum at her strategy not panning out.

“So, anything?” Lenin asked, watching as Faller struggled to make out any directions.

“His behaviour’s perfectly normal.” Wess reasoned. “He might have cleaned up his act after you rushed in.”

“…isn’t that a good thing?” Lenin wondered, as Faller made his way back.

“She said it was this place that specialised in Mokuddo food, like it had this edible tree bark thing going on…” Faller mentioned, sighing out. “I’ll find it eventually.”

Suddenly, an idea struck Wess.

“Well, why don’t we accompany you? It would get awfully boring just to wander about on your day off.” Wess reasoned, as Lenin saw her plan and decided to help.

“Plus, I think I know where you’re talking about.” Lenin lied, slyly winking to Wess, as Faller looked to have regained some energy.

“Really? Well, aren’t I a fortune person?” Faller let out. “I’ll be honest, I was a little disappointed to see students on my day off, but thank you for being so helpful.”

Wess and Lenin lead the way, followed just behind by Faller, as she leaned over to Lenin.

“You’d better hope we find it soon.” Wess whispered. “And once we do, I want you to look out for anyone who might pose a threat. We don’t know if this restaurant’s secretly a villainous meeting spot, or the entrance to some underground complex.”

“Don’t worry.” Lenin insisted again, giving a third thumbs up. “Even without my claws, I’m one tough customer.”

“…sure.” Wess said, giving a well-meaning smile. “Okay.”

———

Essex had been on her feet a fair bit in the last few days.

Sola kept trying to draw her into her quarrel, despite Essex’s clear disinterest in their arguments. Obviously, she couldn’t avoid Sola forever, and for all her complaining about being the weakest physically of the team, Sola managed to pursue Essex thoroughly all across campus.

“Essex! Are you avoiding me again?”

Essex planted herself just outside the assembly hall, panting quietly while listening out for Sola announcing herself. She tried to hide herself behind the nearby pillars, as she glanced down the hall to scope out her surroundings.

“There you are!”

Essex frantically jumped back as Sola yelled beside her, having come the other way.

“I was worried you were trying to hide, but I knew you wouldn’t be that rude.” Sola clarified, as Essex found her shirt collar getting a bit tight.

“…y-yes…that would be…insensitive…”

“Anywho, I need a break.” Sola said, landing on the floor beside Essex. “All that chasing really took it out of me.”

Sola looked around them idly, before spotting the large assembly hall doors and getting excited. “Oh, no way! We’re back here!”

Sola spun around to Essex. “Remember? This is where we first met!”

Essex only just realised where they were and blinked. “Yes. I had asked you for help with my tablet.”

“Yeah, you still hate that thing.” Sola laughed, lying back on the wall. “…I can’t believe I have a girlfriend now.”

Essex was a bit surprised at her sudden subject change, but decided it was about time to hear her out. “I imagine it’s a big change within your life.”

Sola nodded. “I think it felt bigger when we first got together, but I’m still totally reeling from it.”

Sola’s face quickly turned to a scowl, as she balled herself up. “And now Harley’s being all douchey, and I’ve got to apologise for nothing just to make her happy…”

Essex took a subtle glance at Sola’s face, noticing her scowl turn to a more solemn frown, as she lay out her scythe in front of her to lean against the wall with Sola.

“Fights are a natural result of caring for someone.” Essex argued. “If you do not care for them, then the fight would not mean anything.”

“But Harley and I don’t fight! That’s not our thing!” Sola complained. “I don’t want that to be a part of it…”

Essex sat up a little. “…I will not ‘bore you’ with the details, but when I was introduced to the Segaru Clan, I was accompanied by a fox cub. He had helped me to survive in the Aishanara forest.”

Essex ran a finger over her scythe handle. “But when we had first met, we were both desperate to survive. So, we fought for our safety, until we realised it would be safer to work together.”

“Oh. That’s kinda sweet.” Sola added, as Essex moved her finger to the scythe’s blade.

“But this did not stop us from fighting in the future. Food was still difficult to attain, and he was still a wild animal…” Essex reasoned, lifting her finger off. “And yet, with all the fighting we endured, his passing was still heavy for me.”

Sola sat their quietly, watching as Essex wondered whether she’d helped, before reaching over and grabbing her hand.

“Well, don’t your worry. I’m gonna work things out with Harley.” Sola promised. “And even if we fight in the future, we’ll still be together. Both us and the team.”

Essex hadn’t realised, but a blush had crept over her face, as Sola proudly smiled to her, before getting up and heading back down the hall.

“I still don’t know why she’s mad, but that’s okay. I’m not gonna try to force her to give it if she really doesn’t want to.” Sola said. “But I’ll still try and get us on the same page.”

With that, she headed down the hall, as Essex watched her stride proudly, realising just how much she really cared for her teammate.

———

“How enormous is this alley?” Faller asked aloud, staring up at the imposing skyscrapers. “Honestly, it’s like I’m back at the academy.”

“It is somewhat of a labyrinth.” Wess remarked, before Lenin started to perk up, pointing at an Eastern Wayside-style eatery named ‘The Oak Tap.’

“Oh, looks like we’re here.” Wess said, glancing around to see if anyone suspicious was entering.

“It’s about time. I was hungry before, but that searching just made it worse.” Faller bemoaned, deciding to head inside. “If you want, you can join me for a bit. I’ll get you something as thanks for the company.”

Wess shrugged. “A free meal is always appreciated.”

Wess followed Faller inside, as Lenin stayed outside, with a noticeably defensive pose.

“You guys go ahead. I saw this great Northern ice cream place a few blocks back, and I need to use the bathroom.” Lenin excused, giving a sly wink to Wess, as Wess nodded back in approval.

Just as he was out of eyesight, Lenin propped himself outside of the Oak Tap, getting several confused looks from passers-by, just as Wess and Faller took their seats by the bar counter, with Wess leaving her bag by her legs.

“What a lovely eatery.” Wess remarked, staring at the carved wooden décor. “I must make a point to explore these alleyways more thoroughly in my own time.”

“Do it while you can. If you ever get a job like mine, you’ll never have time for this stuff.” Faller pointed out, looking over his menu. “What to get…”

…nothing suspicious about this place so far. Wess acknowledged, looking around, before spotting a waiter.

“Excuse me.” Wess said, calling over the waiter and pointing to the menu. “One pink lemonade, with a dash of watermelon.”

“Uhh, water for now.” Faller asked, as the waiter took their orders, giving Wess some space to start her questioning.

“So, Faller…” She started. “Any reason for going here today?”

“…I just need some time on my own. Going home means spending time on work or with Ferris and…” Faller said, before giving up on the sentence. “Here, I get some proper me-time.”

“That’s understandable. My teams currently caught up in relationship drama, and frankly, that sounds awful to deal with.” Wess clarified, getting a brief chuckle from Faller.

“Glad I don’t have to deal with that.” Faller said, shaking his head. “Running the academy’s enough for me.”

“Is it now?” Wess asked pointedly, getting a confused reaction from Faller, before Wess continued on. “At the very least, training future Venators should have its appeal.”

Faller scoffed. “Yeah, you’d think.”

Wess sounded a bit stunned. “You sound as if you don’t agree.”

Faller scratched his neck, as the waiter came by and dropped off their drinks. “It’s more…complicated than that. This whole conflict’s taken its toll.”

Faller shook his head. “…I don’t think Venators are helping that much.” Faller admitted. “And I don’t know that being the Venator Academy’s principal is helping that much either.”

Wess rested her hand on her lemonade. “How so?”

“…have you heard of Conrad Baxter?” Faller asked, as Wess shook her head. “He’s one of the former principals of the academy. A lot of people look up to him, but I despise his guts.”

Faller waved his hand about, before nearly hitting one the waitstaff walking by. “He’s keeps going on about how great the industry is and what a difference it’s making. ‘The Wailing won’t be a problem for much longer,’ and all that. If he’d done his research into Daysend’s history, he’d know that’s just nonsense.”

Faller lay his hands down on the counter. “Then you’ve got WRNG yelling about this and that, not to mention all the civilians who are just agitated by the whole thing. Everybody’s working to end the conflict, but no one’s making any headway.” Faller pointed out. “We’ve been fighting the Wailing for centuries, and it’s only lead to a larger, more unwieldy Venator industry and stronger Wailing. There’s no end in sight.”

Wess watched as Faller took on a more serious tone, staring bitterly down at the counter in front of him.

“I don’t care what I have to do, but I’ll see the end of this Wailing Conflict. No matter what it takes, no matter what I have to do…” Faller ended, gripping his drink.

Wess carefully took in his demeanour, slowly resting her hand on her backpack, just as their conversation died down, with the restaurant atmosphere started to bleed in again.

“You have some awfully strong convictions.” Wess noted, moving around the drink in her glass.

“You have to if you want to be in my position.” Faller reasoned. “But don’t let my mood get you down. Order something to eat. Remember, I’m paying.”

Wess stared at Faller clearly trying to distract himself with his menu, as her mind tried to focus on enjoying her meal, and not the implication of what Faller had just said.

After nearly an hour, one that Lenin had regretted standing for the entirety of, Wess and Faller had finished their meals, leaving promptly after.

“Well, that was better than I had expected.” Faller said, only now noticing Lenin back with them. “Lenin. I’m sad to see you didn’t join us.”

Lenin started to sweat a little. “Yes, th-the ice cream place was pretty tucked away…and I ordered their twice…and used the bathroom three times…an-”

“Alright, you didn’t feel like joining. You can just admit it.” Wess played off, joining Lenin’s side. “Anyway, we must be off. Plenty of study material to catch up on.”

“Right, of course. I’d feel like a real hypocrite if I held you up from that.” Faller joked, waving to them. “I might see you back at the academy.”

Wess waved goodbye as well, leaving promptly with Lenin, as he looked back as Faller.

“The study material thing was a lie, right?”

“Obviously.” Wess said, reaching the corner in the alley, before pulling Lenin aside. “Did you notice any strange behaviour?”

“Outside the grocery store, one lady dropped some fruit and decided she shouldn’t have to pay for it cause it was on the ground.” Lenin explained. “So, no, there wasn’t anything. Did you get any info from him?”

“He wasn’t too talkative while we ate, but…” Wess began, needing to swallow. “…he said some…concerning things beforehand.”

Lenin was left a bit speechless, but still tried to put on a brave face. “…okay then.”

Wess looked back and noticed Faller was no longer there, as she finally let go of her breath. “We should head back to the academy. I need to tell the others what I heard in person.”

Wess started heading back to the train station, before Lenin stopped her.

“Hey, don’t you worry.” Lenin said. “If he really is…who we think he is, then we’ll take care of it. If you guys are ever in danger, just know that Team Vanguard’s got your back, through thick and thin.”

Wess rested her hand on Lenin’s and smiled back to him, before continuing to the train station, riding it to the academy and making her way to the dorms.

Lenin parted from her and headed into his dorm, just opposite of Team Valiant’s, giving a reassuring thumbs up, as Wess was suddenly greeted by Julia groaning on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.

“Oh, dear Whilit. What did Harley do to you?” Wess groaned, as Julia sat up, noticeably dizzy.

“She just dragged me around to every bar she could find, talking about this and that…” Julia managed, trying to stop herself from spinning. “I really hope Pather can help them through this.”

Wess grabbed Julia a glass of water and sat down with her. “Where are the others?”

Julia took a gulp welcomingly. “Mmm…I think Sola and Essex are hanging out, and Harley’s helping Chops with some project. Why, did you have something important?”

Wess sighed out and stared at the dorm door. “I think it can wait until all this blows over.”

———

Team Vanguard’s room was pretty quiet, but considering most of the team were out and its only occupants were Harley and Chops, that made sense.

“Can I get another pink one?”

“Yeah, here.”

Chops had invited Harley over to work on Saxin and Lenin’s outfits for the formal. They ended up moving from the study to the lounge area, due to the completely cluttered nature of the study, filled with Chops’ art supplies.

“Hey, does this look good?”

“Uhh, move it left a little.”

“Like this?”

“Yeah, that’s good.”

The outfits were coming along nicely, as both of them did their best to add more flare where they could, sewing in flower patterns here and there. However…

“Rgh…come om…” Harley said, a thread between her teeth. “Jus a liddle…”

She missed the needle’s eye again, before throwing it to the floor in frustration and folding her arms.

Chops quickly picked it up and nailed it her first try, before handing it back to Harley.

“How the hell did…?”

“Really steady hands.” Chops bragged, before looking at Harley. “I also used my Whil to freeze the end of the thread so it’d go through.”

Harley moped. “Freaking Whil users…”

“Ooo, someone’s salty tonight.” Chops remarked, watching as Harley took the comment seriously. “I heard about you and Sola.”

“…oh.” Harley let out, losing focus on sewing.

“It’s not like you to get into fights.” Chops teased, smirking at Harley, as Harley glared at her.

“Yeah, laugh it up. It’s real funny now that it’s not us…” Harley said, admittedly stinging Chops a little.

“Wow, that’s a low blow.” Chops pointed out. “Alright, spill. What’d she do that got you on such bad terms?”

Harley shied away from Chops, keeping her tight lipped, as Chops started to poke her side anyway.

“Quit it.”

“You quit being a baby.”

“I’m not…!” Harley started, before stamping her foot to calm herself. “…fine. I’ll…”

Harley took a deep breath and stared down at the table.

“…she said she loved me.”

Chops’ mouth was agape, before she grinned back at her. “Fuck off.”

“I’m serious!” Harley admitted, hitting the table. “We were just outside of class, and she’s walking beside me, then totally out of the blue, she says ‘I love you’ like it’s nothing!”

“Oh my god…” Chops managed, trying not to laugh too much. “Harley, this is some high school level shit.”

Harley grit her teeth. “See? I knew you wouldn’t get it! This is what I get for telling you…”

“Wouldn’t get it?” Chops reiterated. “Please. You did the same thing when we were dating.”

Harley looked offended. “No, I didn’t.”

Chops drooped her eyes. “Remember when I said ‘I love you’ for the first time? You just said ‘right back atcha!’ and left it at that.”

“No, no.” Harley refuted. “That’s not the same. I said it back.”

“That’s not saying it back!” Chops complained. “How is that saying it back? You’re dismissing it like it’s nothing.”

“Then why am I in a fight with Sola? If I’m treating it like it’s nothing, then shouldn’t this fight mean nothing?” Harley ‘reasoned,’ as Chops looked away.

“Gods, this is exactly why we broke up…”

Harley ran her head through her hands. “No, we broke up cause I wanted to become a Venator and you wanted to go and join those morons at WRNG! And then, low and behold, you’re here anyway with a really fun new attitude!”

“Alright, since when do you get to dictate my life? Yeah, I didn’t stick to some decision I made when I was a teenager, what a shocker! Not everyone was training their whole life for one job!” Chops yelled back. “And in case you forgot, we left off on good terms!”

“I was being NICE!!!” Harley shouted back, now standing up in the middle of the room, before both of them realised what a scene they’d made and tried to calm themselves down.

Harley went to pick her needle back up, as Chops grabbed for Saxin’s dress, both looking back at the table, before Harley put the needle down and closed the distance to Chops, hugging her.

“…I’m sorry.”

“…I’m sorry too.” Chops replied, hugging her back. “…I…should’ve explained why I came here, or warned you ahead of time.”

“…yeah.” Harley admitted, breaking the hug and rubbing her neck. “…I’m just really scared about ruining things with Sola.”

“I know…” Chops confessed, patting her shoulder. “Our shouting match probably didn’t help that, then.”

Harley laughed a little. “I dunno. Cleared the air a bit.”

“So, what’s the big problem?” Chops asked. “Why can’t you just say it back, or just take it?”

“I…” Harley started. “It’s not that easy. The moment I say it, like, that’s it. We’re together.”

Chops spurred her on. “And?”

“And that’s scary! I don’t do long term, and every time I have, I just…fuck it up in some major way, or I act careless, or sleep around and barely acknowledge them…or they end up leaving anyway…”

“Geez. I thought it was just an us issue.” Chops admitted, getting more comfortable. “So, have you taken her out on a date yet?”

“…do class trips count?” Harley asked, getting a firm head shake from Chops.

“Fun pet names?”

“I say she’s badass sometimes.”

“Hoo boy…alright, what about sex?” Chops questioned, getting a surprised look from Harley.

“C-Come on…”

Chops glared at her, as Harley conceded and slowly shook her head.

“I-It’s not like I don’t want to do these things…” Harley admitted. “B-But what if it ruins it…?”

“Harley.” Chops started. “As someone who is intimately familiar with you, dates and sex won’t ruin it.”

Chops leaned in. “You need to start taking some risks. Stop being so precious with her and show her a good time! You’re her first girlfriend, and she deserves it. The least you can do is show you care.”

Harley tried to get comfortable but found her hands starting to cramp as she leaned on them, before going for the sewing needle again and disengaging from the conversation.

Chops simply rolled her eyes and went back to her work as well, finishing up the last patterns on Saxin’s dress.

“I wasn’t lying about it being high school shit.”

Harley pouted. “I never should have said anything…”

———

Pather was a lot of things, but she wasn’t quite ready for her next appointment.

Her cooling off idea for Harley and Sola was a bit of a Hail Mary, and unless they started talking to each other properly, she wasn’t going to be much help.

Why the heck am I stressed? It’s their meeting. Pather rationalised, sinking back in her seat. Maybe it’s all the exhaustion from avoiding them this week…

As Pather waited for the hour to tick over, Harley waited outside of her office, checking her tablet for the time regularly, until she noticed Sola hurrying down the hall, trying to avoid eye contact.

Harley did so as well, as they met up outside of the office, just a few moments from going in.

“…do we have to do this?” Harley questioned. “…I don’t like avoiding you and getting all mad like this.”

“I don’t like it either…” Sola said. “…but we promised to see the meeting out.”

Harley conceded Sola’s point, as she checked her tablet again, noticing the time had turned over, and hurrying into the office. “Let’s get this over with.”

Harley and Sola both took their seats across from Pather’s, as Pather could already sense the tension still present between the two.

“Okay, so should we pick up from last time?” Pather asked, as Harley let out a huff.

“Can we just apologise? I want to stop fighting already…” Harley admitted, as Sola leaned over in her seat.

“Well, I do too, but we’ve both gotta know why the fight happened, or else it’ll happen all over again.” Sola pointed out, as Pather raised her hand.

“Sola makes a good point. Harley, I think it’s only fair you offer an explanation to Sola as to why this happened in the first place.” Pather asked, as Harley looked annoyed.

“But we were-why can’t…fine! I’ll just…” Harley said, taking a deep breath and turning to her side. “Sola…you said you loved me.”

Sola thought it over, before nodding. “Yeah.”

Sola took a minute, before cocking her head. “Wait, that’s it?”

“That’s it?! What do you mean ‘that’s it?!’” Harley let out. “That’s a big deal!”

“No, it isn’t! I love you, so I said I love you! Why are we fighting about this?!” Sola added, as Pather tried to raise her hand.

“Cause I don’t do well with this stuff! And I don’t think you understand where I’m coming from!” Harley pointed out, as Pather started to tap on her clipboard.

“Can you please stop talking ov-“

“I totally understand! I just don’t want to be a couple that fights about these things!” Sola yelled, as Pather started to scratch at her forehead. “We can do better than that!”

“Couples fight! It happens! And we’re training at the Venator Academy! Of course we’re gonna fig-“

“Oh, would you two stop it already?!” Pather complained, shocking Harley and Sola. “I’ve had enough of this!”

She leaned over in her seat and ran her head through her hands. “I’m gonna tell you what I think, and you give me your feedback, okay?”

Pather leaned in. “Harley, you’re scared of being intimate with Sola cause you’ve been hurt before, so when she said I love you, you got scared.”

Pather looked to Sola. “Sola, you’ve never dated anyone, so you’ve got these great expectations of what Harley should be, which she can’t meet.”

Pather leaned back and rubbed her forehead. “Harley, get over it. Sola, lower your expectations. We all good?”

A quiet lulled over the room, as Harley and Sola tried to calm themselves down, with Pather scribbling something down on her clipboard.

“I know this stuff is hard, but I think you two can get through it.” Pather said, adding a final point with her pen. “Okay? Okay. I think we’re done here.”

Pather was a lot of things, and efficient was her most noteworthy.

After what felt like a near unending walk back to their dorm, Harley and Sola had barely spoken a word, still processing what they’d unpacked during Pather’s counselling session.

Harley opened the door, as they both walked in quietly, taking a deep breath once they came in.

“I guess the others went out somewhere.” Sola said, noting the rest of the team’s absence.

“It is getting pretty late. Man, I’m sweaty…” Harley pointed out, getting a brief whiff of herself, before recoiling. “I’m gonna have a quick shower.”

Sola watched as Harley ducked into the study’s drawers and pulled out a few towels, before heading to the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

Sola heard the sound of the shower turning on through the walls, before an idea popped in her head suddenly.

She hurried over to the study and grabbed another towel out, checking again to see Harley was still in the shower, before heading out of the dorm with it.

She jogged down the hall, passing a couple students on her way, before arriving at the dorm’s laundry room, noticing a free tumble dryer. She threw the towel in and turned it on, warming it up gently for a few minutes, before taking it out, feeling the warmth emanating from it.

She hurried back to the dorm, hoping to catch Harley just as she was stepping out of the shower, which she fortunately managed, with the bathroom door opening the moment she got back.

Harley stepped out with a towel draped around her, and a second one bundling up her hair, as Sola greeted her with the new towel, holding it out for her.

Harley cocked her head. “What’s this for?”

“To help warm you up. Whenever I get out of the shower, I feel kinda cold, so I thought I’d get a hot towel for you.” Sola clarified. “You know, so you’d have a fresh, warm towel while you dry off.”

Harley found herself impressed with the small gesture, taking the new towel and replacing the one draped around her body.

“Thanks, Sola.” Harley let out, admittedly blushing. “That was…really sweet…”

“No worries.” Sola grinned, leaning up to kiss Harley’s cheek. “It’s the least I can do.”

Sola then backed off and grabbed her bag, before turning to the door. “Anyway, I’m gonna do some studying in the library. All this counselling’s put me a bit behind in some classes, and I bet you could use some space.”

Sola went to open the door, before Harley reached out again.

“Hold on. I…really mean it.” Harley admitted. “You do this kinda stuff all the time, and I don’t thank you enough for it, or do it enough myself, so…thank you.”

Harley tried to work up her confidence, as Sola stood patiently by the door.

“And…”

Harley flexed her hands and took a deep breath.

“…I love you.”

Harley avoided eye contact and, along with the towel, started to feel very warm all over, as Sola just brightly smiled to herself and waved as she exited.

“I love you too!”