hua shrugged a little while Marta and Car caught up. “It was fun,” She said with a grin, “Getting involved in your antics for once.”
Car sidled up with Sonya and Sonya opened her arm for her lover to slide it in. The two walked together while Marta, smiling to herself, took her position at the rear, hands over her p as always. Car gnced back over her shoulder at the pair who were talking to one another with bright eyes and bits of beautiful ughter while Alex and Greg scrambled to join them, “Were those her first words?” She asked.
“Since being mute?” Sonya asked, “Yes. She didn’t say a word besides entary with her text illusions while we were getting her set up,” Sonya said with a small smirk, “Saving them for her, how cute.”
“The clothes?” Car asked, “You didn’t go out shopping in the middle of the night, did you?”
Sonya poio herself, feigning offense before sn and shaking her head, “Oh no, they’re miually. Marta is stelr with a needle and had them fitted in no time ft. Did her hair too.”
hua gnced back at Marta appraisingly, “Impressive.”
Marta raised her head with a bit of pride and smirked at hua, “Only to be expected of Miss ovna’s personal caretaker and bodyguard. I couldn’t call myself such if I wasn’t capable of this,” She said smugly only to get a snort from hua. She narrowed her eyes as the woman turned away and ughed, “What? What’s so funny?”
hua kept ughing, “Would you happen to sider yourself ‘one hell of a maid’?” She asked, putting a little emphasis on the phrase.
Sonya raised her eyebrows while Car looked fused. The two looked back at Marta who blinked a few times, opened her mouth, closed it, blinked a few more times and the starry eyed. She hustled over to hua with a delighted smile, “How many episodes?”
“I’ve read it,” hua said with a small ugh, “When I was in high school.”
Marta nearly squealed with delight, drawing a few looks but she couldn’t care less. The two immediately broke into versation while Sonya ushered a fused Car away. “There’s two of them now,” Sonya said and rolled her eyes, “Oh boy,” She said with a shake of her head.
Car pursed her lips, “Marta’s little addi?”
Sonya nodded gravely, “The same.”
odded and squeezed Sonya’s arm, going quiet for a moment befng at her, “We’re really going back to that beach?” She asked with a small smile, pressing up a bit closer.
Sonya raised an eyebrow, “Why not?” She let out a gasp, “Miss Mint! Are you thinking of something unprofessional?” She said, sdalized, “Now that is quite unbeing for someone of your position!”
Car did her best to repress a smirk, “Miss ovna, we are not on business, we let our hair down a little while enjoying the beach,” She said with a refiilt to her voice, looking up and closing her eyes.
Sonya g her colr, “I’ll let your hair down in a-”
A throat cleared behind the two of them and they looked back to see hua and Marta both scowling at them with their eyebrows raised. Sonya shut her mouth and looked away. Buzz kills. No fun! She grumbled inwardly before huffing and throwing her hair back, marg towards the crowd, “Miss Mint! Let us away from these killjoys!” She announced, dragging a red-faced Car along with her. Several of the aspirants and a few instructheir way. Sonya brightened and waved, “Hello!” She called, “Excited?”
There was a chorus of agreement that greeted her as she came to a stop. Axel stepped forward from the pack of boys aended a hand, “Miss ovna! It’s been a while!”
She pat Car’s arm and pulled herself free, extending a hand and shaking his. “We’ve both been very busy! I hear you’re doing a fabulous job in the field bat courses.”
Analyze.
He smirked at her from behind his sungsses, he was at least a foot and a half taller than her so she had to peer up a bit. He squeezed her hand bad nodded, “You’re not half bad either, took Bck Lotus to task in that spar.”
She released his hand. He ’t resist, he? That’s brand loyalty for you. She let out a sigh and shrugged her shoulders, “She was obviously holding back quite a bit, but it was still a good match.”
“Would you mind doihe honor of going a few rounds?” He said with a toothy grin.
She looked him in the eyes, “After the beach I’ll show you what it really means to be a knife fighter, Axel.”
He barked out a ugh, “Man you got guts! I like you!”
“Enough to e over to the ASTA side perhaps?” She said with fluttering eyeshes.
He snickered and shook his head, “Sorry, I’m with Fe, thanks for the offer though, Miss ovna.”
She shrugged, “Had to try,” She said before turning to the rest gathered. She hat Madame Rouge was decidedly not present. Figures, the woman ’t go a day without wearing makeup. She’d lose her mind on the beach, around water? Heaven forbid. She thought wryly before stepping forward, “Everyohis is your reward for all your hard work and struggles. I know you’ve been through a lot ing here. The training is not easy, and some of your friends have already left us,” She said, holding out her arms. To her left, hua tapped her earpied muttered something, “So a little rest aion is in order before we hop into the sed half and really get down to business,” She turo Car, “Miss Mint?”
Car stepped forward and adjusted her gsses, “You already know the camp rules, they apply here. There are some things to be aware of. We will still be in the Uates, so those ws are going to apply while we’re at the beach,” She squi the crowd before turning her eyes on one young man in particur, “Luke, I’m talking to you.”
The fair haired young man held up his hands, “We’ll be good!”
She huffed, “Sure you will,” She shook her head.
“Wait! Why does that matter?” Another voice called out, “Where are we going?”
The ground behind the group shuddered ond Sonya sensed four more presences walking up behind her. She rest her hands on her hips as the archway began to rise up from the ground. The storucture took shape and the light withi, then distorted inward before f a tunnel. It bowed and twisted until colpsing into a se far removed from their mountainous and woody surroundings. A beautiful beach stretched out beyond the portal with blue waves and palm trees. Those present all stared in wonder for a moment, then Sonya decided to chime in, “Wele, dies alemen, to my private beach house in Maui!”
A bunch of eyes turned back to her, even Axel looked at her surprised, “W-wait, from the photoshoot? That beach house?”
Sonya raised an eyebrow at him, “Thank you for buying the special edition issue, Axel,” She teased and walked past him as everyoared. Car and Marta moved to catch up. She sensed hua shake her head a little before following along as well. “I don’t know about you all,” Sonya said loudly to the stunned group as she he portal, “But I’m going to the beach!”
She stepped through as a cheer rose up oher side, feeling the sand give way beh her feet. She gnced back at Marta before anyone else followed them, “Go have fun, dear.”
Marta bowed, “Thank you for making the arras,” She said with a warm smile.
Sonya wi her before materializing a pair of big sungsses and slipping them on, “You ear.”
–
Lillian burst out of the water and took a deep breath, her hair stig to the back of her head. She turned just in time for Alex to e rocketing in her dire, propelled by a spinning swing from Val. Her eyes went wide and she dove to the side, diving uhe water again before popping back up, “Watch it you morons!” She shouted, “Yonna take somebody’s head-” She paused and blinked, watg Alex skip across the water like a stone another hundred feet before flopping into the water.
A peal of ughter from Val and Greg behiold her that they weren’t aiming at her. Alex resurfaced, spluttering and shook his hair out before throwing his fists up into the air, “That had to be two hundred feet, right?” He whooped and fell bato the water.
“Only oy!” The small voice of Snow came to their ears. They gnced over at Snow sitting at the edge of the water with her feet in it, watg with a smirk on her face, “Try harder! Throw him again!”
Alex resurfaced, “It’s weird hearing you under-” He froze when he saw the leers from Val and Greg. “Oh shit!” He gasped and started running.
Lillian ughed and trudged her way to the edge, plopping down in the sao Snow. Snow rest her arms on her legs and watched the boys make fools of themselves before leaning over aing her head on Lillian’s shoulder. “How are you feeling?” Lillian asked.
“Still getting used to it, timings a little off,” Snow said, her words ing out just a sed out of sync with her lip movements, “I’m getting there.”
“Kind of like one of those old dubbed shows,” Lillian joked.
Snow squinted up at her, “Idiot,” She said petuntly, “Dumb, stupid, dummy, dum dum.”
Lillian ughed and ed an arm around her shoulder, “I’m teasing,” She said, “I’m so gd I get to hear your voice,” She murmured as Alex went flying past them, again, screaming the eime.
Snow leaned forward and cupped her hands over her lips, “Two twenty!” She shouted, projeg her illusory voice. “Go for two fifty ! Get ‘em!”
Lillian couldn’t help herself, she just ughed.
–
John stood beh the tree, the shade was adequate though the temperature was more than he was used to. The humidity was also quite high. Even so, the breeze ing in from the north was suffit to cool his body. His eyes fixed oer. He was izant of the fact that with his ability he was more than capable of swimming and swimming well. Yet an oddly irrational part of his mind warned him against the water. There were fish ier. There were other things ier. There was a noisy spsh and Alex popped out of the water again, throwing his fists up into the air and howling.
Like them. He thought.
He cast his gaze over the rest of the expansive beach. Young men and women were out at py. A volleyball had bee up, people were diving and spshing. Laughter everywhere. He crossed his arms a out a breath. Perhaps rexation is healthy.
“Not a big swimmer?” A voice popped up behind him. He blinked and rotated his body, who oh had snuck up on him? He paused when he saw Miss ovna approach, sipping at what clearly was a fast food drink cup. Where had she gotten it? Did she just keep them at her beach house? She shifted those meical eyes and looked at him with a raised eyebrow, “You’re overanalyzing again,” She said, “Bad for versation.”
He cleared his throat, “Apologies. Ma’am.”
She stood o him beh the tree, she was an inch shorter than himself but she cast a wide shadow wherever she went. It was eerie. “I didn’t get to tell you,” She began, “I spoke with Bluestar about what we had talked about.”
He turned her way, “Good news?”
“She’s willing to give you a shot,” She said with a shrug, “It’s up to you if you impress her. I only fund the ASTA Guild, I don’t make decisions for her, especially when it es to giving heroes dual responsibilities.”
He nodded, “I see,” He said ftly, “Surpass expectations, then.”
He fell silent for a moment, watg the others have fun as the CEO slurped her drio him. She gave him another sidelong gnce, “John?”
“Yes, ma’am?” He mumbled, his eyes still fixed on the surf.
“Don’t make me order you to go have fun,” She said and turned away, walking across the bead waved back at him, “I might start rethinking things! I like a lively office!”
He felt his lips twitch, an expression f. A small microscopic downward tilt as his stomach twisted. He swallowed hard and looked back at the retreating figure that stopped to greet the mythic boy who made him uneasy. He let his arms fall to his sides and after gng around a bit, let out a heavy sigh. “...I suppose it wouldn’t hurt,” He mumbled, and stepped out of the blessed shade. She’s scary.
–
“Miss ovna! You look wonderful today, is that a new swimsuit?” Otis asked, grinnio ear as he approached her. She g him and with every ounce of strength and self trol she had she returned his smile. He extended a hand to her and she took it, her abilities providing her with enough physiological trol not to shudder in revulsion as his hand touched hers.
Try again? Analyze.
Her lip twitched, “Why yes it is!” She said brightly, “Thank you for notig Marc.”
“Certainly, I try to stay abreast of such things,” He said with a small grin before releasing her hand and looking out over the beach, “This is very nice.”
“Yes it is,” She said, keeping up the ad looking out over the water. “I’ve heard you’ve been doier with socializing.”
He frowned a little, “It is… difficult, but I am managing,” He said with a small nod, “I don’t want to let you down, Miss ovna. You said that was what I was g in order to be sidered, so that is what I will improve on.”
Sonya sipped at her drink, resisting the urge to refill it o him. She gnced his way and took a small gamble, “What’s got you so fixated on joining team ASTA anyway? You could joiernational Team with your ability alone.”
He tilted his head and crossed his arms, “That’s the ultimate goal, yes,” He said, “But something tells me that I o work my with ASTA first,” He admitted, “A true hero has to start somewhere, right? Work their and rise to the occasio matters. Make their legend from scratch. I like stories like that.”
“You like stories, do you?” She asked, itting his words to memory.
“Yes, I’m rather fond of Greek myths. Like Odysseus,” He chuckled, “Are you familiar?”
Something about the way he said it sent a chill up her spine, “I am,” She said, “Lost at sea after Troy, had many adventures along the way home. Do you see yourself as Odysseus?”
He smirked, “Something like that, I have my own story to tell, though, a goal.”
“What’s that?” She asked.
He turned his head and looked up at her with those cold blue eyes, “I’m going t Ishtar down and bee the world's greatest hero, ma’am.” He paused and looked back out to the sea with that cold smile she remembered from his dying day, “Then, who knows? Might start my own team, Seven guys should do, I like that number.”