Argent had been standing over a hanging section of potted Ginka when he felt the tug at his sleeve, he and Gauge both glancing down to find a pair of big, black eyes staring upwards with their owner standing dangerously close.
“Hey… White Fox.”
Startled by the girl's sudden appearance and proximity, Argent jolted back a step despite Remelia’s soft-spoken manner of address. Raising a hand to cover his mouth as he cleared his throat, Argent took an extra moment to compose himself and shake off this second use of her odd nickname for him before responding.
“What’s up, Remelia? How can I help?”
He questioned, eyes following upwards as the girl pointed an arm behind her just in time to indicate Shizuka approaching with a shyly apologetic look.
“Shizu needs help… I can’t help.. Sorry…”
Argent blinked, but as the words registered he could only smile at the smaller girl. The urge to pat her on the head hit him like a sack of bricks thrown from a rooftop, but he forcibly resisted the temptation. It was an insanely prevalent impulse, consistently recurring whenever the small girl interacted directly with him, but something about patronizing a daughter of the Epstein house seemed inappropriate if not downright dangerous. Neverminding the fact that Remelia herself could knock him clean through the greenhouse roof if she wanted to.
“And what about you? Aren’t you doing the assignment?”
He asked after a moment, noticing that Remelia didn’t appear to be carrying her classroom materials. She seemed to think about this for a second, tapping one foot against the ground as she finally shrugged her shoulders.
“I will. Shizu will help me.. So Shizu needs help first.”
Argent chuckled a bit as Gauge exasperatedly covered his face with his off hand. The rogue might had little patience for Remelia's usual antics, but in all truthfulness, Argent found the majority of her habits quite endearing. He had always been good with children, and it was difficult for him not to think of her as a little sister or niece.
“Alright. Let’s help Shizuka, then. I need to collect samples anyway.”
“Thanks.”
With Argent’s expertise the four managed the assignment with ease, as it also became apparent that Shizuka’s knowledge of several plants was actually quite detailed, so long as she could properly understand their scientific names and types. The exchange was one Argent found both interesting and beneficial, as he was able to note several new references for the plants which he had never before come across considering the scarcity of published literature from her homeland, The Rim. Even in his extensive studies he had rarely come across works from those exotic northern regions, and even then it was not uncommon for the few transcripts one might stumble upon to be poorly translated.
“I hadn’t considered using it that way… But now that you say it, I can definitely see how it would work.”
He commented thoughtfully as Shizuka stopped to point out an exotic jungle orchid she called a Mizukap, giving an explanation of how they were used in the river towns to seal the underside of small hunting boats.
“The film on their leaves is extremely hydrophobic when refined, it’s one of the reasons it can be so hard to concoct solutions from. It doesn’t play well with many other water-soluble compounds… But if combined with the proper oils, I imagine it could be applied very effectively for the kind of use you’re describing.”
The beastkin nodded.
“The hunters mix it with stone-oils and use it to treat Koleppi skins, which are stretched beneath the hull. It makes the boats quiet, and fast.”
“Koleppi?”
Gauge questioned. Argent answered.
“Water wolves, in the common tongue… They’re often described as a mix between a shark and a wolf—but really they’re closer to amphibian origin. More like a draco-salamander than a shark.”
“Wow, because that makes it better. Not a shark-wolf, but an aquatic dragon-wolf. Got it. Excuse me while I add that to my ‘hell no’ list.”
Gauge held his arms up in an exaggerated X formation as he responded to Argent’s explanation, shaking his head vigorously in condemnation.
“The meat is chewy, but the grilled flavour is quite rich.”
Shizuka stated matter-of-factly, prompting Gauge to give her an incredulous look. Remelia on the other hand perked up at the mention of taste, her mouth opening slightly although she said nothing. The small group spent the rest of the hour chatting and collecting the last of the necessary samples, and soon the period came to its end. The Class packed up their belongings and headed out to the other side of campus for their field studies, a long trek to be made in a quick time, forcing them into a light jog. It seemed that Naiara was already there waiting by the time the rest of them arrived, engaged in conversation with an ever enthusiastic Instructor Spinette. The wildland sniper wasted no time in setting them off, ushering the class onto the transportation circle and teleporting them into the woodland depths with a snap of her fingers. They returned in the same way at the end of the period, reappearing upon the platform muddied and disgruntled. Fenn was nursing several bandaged up snake-bites after their assignment of collecting a batch of emerald vipers, and Matthias’ skin was turning a sickly green. Instructor Spinette was all smiles, happily stepping off the circle with the basket of snakes secure under one arm, crossbow held over her other shoulder.
“Ahh! That was fun~”
She exclaimed, seeming pleased with herself and with the class.
“Thanks for your hard work! Oh, and Matthias... Remember to take your second dose of that antidote, or you’ll actually die. The rest of you, give Thune my regards!”
She waved casually as she turned and walked off, leaving the students to gather their bearings and trudge off for their final course of the day, Aspect Arts with Instructor Redmane. Thune Redmane was a massive Aslan beastkin of intimidating build, his stark white mane twisted into long braided tangles, adorned with various metal clasps and rings. The bottom half of each braid was dyed a rich, blood red which made obvious his namesake, while golden eyes slit with catlike pupils sparkled beneath his heavy brow. White and gold battle robes fit snugly against his hardened frame, inscribed with religious symbols both decorative and functional. It was not unusual to find him with these vestments topped with a full regalia of scale armour and chain, but it seemed Instructor Redmane was taking things easy today.
It was a fortunate end for the class, as the huge yet venerable warpriest saw to tending their afflictions during the course of the period. His laid-back lesson on power balance and the flow of internal energy was gratefully received by his tired students before they were released for the day, and Argent was able to take several notes he was sure he could apply to the power channeling in his pistols.
“Finally finished.. And thank the Gods for it, I'm running on empty. Dinner?”
Argent shook his head in response to Gauge’s usual advocation for mealtime.
“You’ll have to go on without me this time. I’ve got an errand to run.”
Finding the courage to walk into the female dorms with enough confidence to avoid seeming suspicious had been difficult enough, but standing at the doorway to Seren's assigned room left Argent feeling paralyzed. Looking from his left to right, he noticed the contrast from the male dorms in decoration alone, much of the hallway and other individual doors being covered in cheerful posters or colourful personalized placards. Seren's door had one simple sign, crafted from a slate of dark-coloured stone and engraved with blood-red Draconian script spelling out her first name. Swallowing hard, Argent tore his eyes away from the ominous red writing and knocked tentatively on the door.
“I said piss off, Matthias!”
Seren’s voice lashed out from the other side, with even more violent flare than usual. Although startled by the outburst, Argent couldn’t help but think that if nothing else, the energy put into her voice suggested she wasn’t feeling too worse for wear.
“Ah.. Actually it’s Argent.”
“Huuh?”
The annoyed, somewhat incredulous response could be heard from within the room, followed by several heavy footsteps before the door was pushed open. The movement was quick and forceful, yet calculated to the point of cracking the entryway only enough for the blonde’s crimson gaze to be visible as she peered outwards.
“… What the hell do you want, white-hair?”
She huffed in a distinctly draconic manner. Argent could have vividly imagined the smoke coming from her nostrils.
“I.. Well.. Instructor Kingsfoot wanted me to bring you a copy of our daily lesson—“
He was cut off briefly as Seren’s hand shot out and swiped the paper from his grasp, her eyes glinting with fresh annoyance as she opened her mouth to contest the assignment. Knowing what was on her tongue, Argent spoke over her before she could voice the full complaint.
“—And to help you with it.”
Seren abruptly shut her mouth, though she gave Argent a contemptuous look. He shifted uncomfortably beneath her glare for what felt like an entire minute before she spoke again.
“Whatever. You have it done, right? Just leave it and I’ll copy it for tomorrow.”
She held out her hand expectantly for his own book, and Argent frowned.
“Instructor Kingsfoot was very insistent that I go over the material with you in detail.”
He rebutted, hitting another nerve with Seren as the dragon girl slammed her fist against the wall aggressively.
“Like I give a damn? Can she prove you did or didn't?! Just keep your mouth shut and hand it over!”
Argent took a step back. Instructor Kingsfoot’s words ran through his head as he stalled for time, trying to find the resolve to stand his ground under the pressure of Seren’s gaze.
Something about that girl seems sad, to me.
He looked into the crimson orbs which bore into him with contempt, noticing for the first time that their shifting reds were dotted with flakes of rich gold. There was certainly emotion there, in those eyes… And for the first time he found himself questioning if all of it was really anger.
“Now, white-hair! Stop wasting my time!”
Seren’s bark jolted him back to the present, causing him to stutter.
“N-no, I--”
“Huh?!”
Argent flinched at her response to his refusal, and she was soon right on top of him with more than just an angry voice. The door to her dorm room burst open as she lunged for him, fist balling around the collar of his tunic with tremendous force even despite having to reach upwards to his height.
“Do you want me to kill you, you piece of shi-“
Her voice cracked mid-curse, becoming a yelp of pain followed by the sound of bodies tumbling to the floor. Argent failed to maintain his footing as Seren’s strength gave, having already been set off-balance by her aggressive attempts to strangle him, he found himself flat on his back with a wincing Seren straddling the center of his chest. She whined in a low voice and seemed to have forgotten where she was for a moment as she stared down at the bandaging on her legs, touching the wounds tentatively as streaks of red began to stain the gauze wraps.
“Damn it..”
The words came out painfully, heavy with disappointment and shame. Gradually her gaze shifted upwards to meet Argent’s own wide eyes, her cheeks flushing as she struggled to rise to her feet. Unfortunately her legs failed once again beneath the sudden pressure placed upon them, sending her full weight crashing down onto Argent's stomach.
“Damn it!”
She cried, ignoring Argent’s winded gasp from the impact of her fall. Rolling unceremoniously off him to the side, gritting her teeth and dragging herself towards the doorway with all the strength she could gather. Huffing slightly and trying to catch his breath, Argent forced himself into a sitting position and tried to interject.
“S-seren, wait!”
“Get away from me!”
Argent tried to make a move towards the door as he pleaded with the dragon girl, who lashed out backwards in a kick as she snarled her response at his attempts to block her. The blow caught him hard in the shoulder and pushed him momentarily back, but Argent grit his teeth and persisted.
“Seren!”
“I said leave!”
“Just let me--”
“GET THE FUCK OUT!”
Her final shout rang down the hallway, followed by a sudden slam and a yelp of pain. Argent blinked, the sensory overload of their scramble enough to convince him in the heat of the moment that Seren had managed to slam the door into his face, but no. Instead Naiara had appeared, her boot pressed firmly into Seren’s hand where it reached for the door. Her eyes were emotionless, her expression unreadable, though behind her-- her tail swished in low, angry sweeps.
“Get a hold of yourself. You’re acting like a wounded animal.”
The beastkin spoke coldly, her tone stern as she slowly removed her boot from Seren’s palm. Argent looked up at the wolven girl in shock, only then noticing that several doors had cracked open behind her, various faces peering out at the commotion. Among them were present one particular pair of velvety ears and a sparking set of jet-black eyes. Seren's lips curled into a snarl, but before the retort could take shape Naiara knelt down and stuck the index and middle finger of her left hand hard into one of Seren’s bandages, her face hovering inches from the dragonkin’s own.
“Something to say?”
Seren ground her teeth together defiantly but forced herself into silence, not allowing any sound of pain to leave her lips. Naiara’s eyes glinted as she examined Seren’s face, but finally the wolf pulled back, flicking a few droplets of blood from her fingertips with a quick snap of her wrist.
“Good."
Her gaze turned towards Argent for the first time, locking on to him firmly. As he always did whenever Naiara looked at him, he felt that he was being sized up in that moment. Still, her tail gradually slowed in its movements as almost indiscernably, her expression softened the smallest bit.
"Argent? I leave the rest to you.”
She stood and turned away without so much as a backwards glance, waving a hand in a gesture for the dorm’s onlookers to close up their doors and go back to their business. Doorway by doorway the hall emptied itself as Naiara walked down it, disappearing into a room towards the end. Turning his eyes back to Seren he found her sitting unmoved, slumped into a resigned heap. Feeling awkward now despite being in a position to accomplish his original goal, Argent found himself avoiding Seren’s eyes as he lifted her up and supported her weight. She didn’t fight him. Didn’t make a sound. Nor did she move once he had placed her at the edge of her bed, sitting with her legs slumped over the edge and her hands in her lap, staring forward into nothing. Fresh blood was beginning to seep free of her bandaging now, the gauze failing to retain all of the leakage-- particularly where Naiara had dug her fingers into the wound.
Argent couldn’t help but feel sorry for her in that moment, no matter what their interactions had been previously. Standoffish as Saren may have been it was obvious now that she was hurting, and he had always considered himself in the business of helping those who needed it. Kneeling down at the bedside, he looked up to her for some sort of acknowledgement or response before attempting to touch her bandaging. Receiving no such thing, he frowned for a long moment before reaching out to unravel the seeping bandage anyway. Only after he touched her did Seren’s hand suddenly spring to life, clasping around his fingertips and holding him still. Argent looked up in questioning and was taken aback at the appearance of tears pooling in the girl’s eyes, streaking slowly down her cheeks as she glared at him. The tremors of barely suppressed sobs began to ripple in the muscles of her shoulders as she bit her bottom lip, and Argent found himself surprised at how cold he realized her hand was. Slowly moving his other hand upwards to hold hers, Argent stood up to his full height and stared down at the pitiable sight of Seren’s broken spirit.
"...Seren.."
She didn’t look him in the eyes, but as the tears overtook her and the cries she had fought so hard against could no longer be contained, Seren leaned forward into his chest and muffled her sobs against his tunic. Argent had no idea how to respond. His sense of empathy panged with its own pains, and for a moment he felt his eyes begin to water sympathetically before he shook the feeling away. This was Seren's moment to let down her guard, and that meant it was up to him to be steady. He wasn't sure how to help her. Wasn't sure if he even could... The most he could do was make sure she didn't have to cry alone. Tucking her lightly against his chest he realized how truly small she was, standing quietly with her hands grasped in his until her emotions had all been let out.
“..May I look at the wounds, now?”
He asked softly, once the noises from Seren had subsided into small sniffles. She nodded her head. Carefully he unwrapped the first bandage, grimacing as the damage became more apparent. From the distance at which they watched the battle it had been easy to miss the level of injury Seren had sustained, but up close like this, it became very obvious that the conflict had taken its toll. Her body was riddled with slashes, bruises, wounding from the backblast of explosions, fragmentation from shattering rocks, electrical burns-- Things Seren had powered through during the adrenaline of the battle, but which were now causing her extreme pain. Eyeing the open gash that Naiara had aggravated, Argent winced as he pulled the bandage free of the torn flesh.
“Why.. Why is it like this? Shouldn't the medics have patched you up?”
He asked tentatively, looking up to Seren again.
“They didn’t, because it was a duel… They’ll stabilize you, make sure you don't die... But not heal you fully-- it’s meant to be part of the consequences of engaging in voluntary conflict... To make you learn the price of being wounded...”
Argent tipped his head in confusion.
“But Cassius showed up for herbology, and he looked fine? He seemed fully healed to me..”
“Cassius has money, and influence. I’m sure procuring a few healing potions was nothing to him.”
Seren responded through clenched teeth. She didn’t seem surprised by the information, just bitter about it. As the pieces began to fit together inside his head Argent put two and two together about why she had assumed he was Matthias when he had initially knocked on her door. The young priest must have known about the dueling rules, or had found out from Cassius, and had come by out of concern for her. Leaving that be, Argent worked in silence for several minutes to clean out the wounds and reapply fresh bandaging from his kit. His eyes glanced over the bundle of samples he had cut from the greenhouse for Instructor Kingsfoot’s assignment where they lay beside his open pack.
“Ginka root, Kadura stem… Shyvirre.. ‘The most commonly useful herbs’.”
He muttered to himself, causing Seren to lean forward and look down at him. She raised a brow, some of her usual fire returning to her as she lightly kicked a leg forward to tap his cheek with her boot.
“Hey. What’re you babbling about down there?”
She questioned with an only slightly less aggressive tone than normal, following his gaze over towards the bundle of plants. Argent remained docile despite the roughness of her approach, choosing to ignore commenting on the interaction and instead answering her question.
“Cassius might have the influence of the Great Houses behind him.. But I think, Seren, there are people looking out for you too.”
He paused slightly, unable to contain his expression as he grinned sidelong at her, catching her gaze out of the corner of his eye.
“And i’d like to be one of them.”
“W-wha.. Idiot! Stop talking nonsense and get to the point already!”
Seren’s cheeks flushed as she spat out her flustered retort, pulling back and folding her arms over her chest. Argent chuckled a bit, thankful that she hadn’t decided to kick him again. Opening up his alchemy supplies, he began to set up a basic brewer’s apparatus on Seren’s desk as the dragonkin watched him with semi-suspicious eyes. Once everything was in place, Argent positioned her desk chair so that he could sit in front of Seren at her bedside, laying down the bundle of herbs beside her.
“These are the nine items we covered in the assignment… Among them, in particular… This, this, and this--”
He pointed in order to the Ginka, Kadura and Shyvirre as he spoke.
“--Have a very particular use. Do you know anything about them?”
Reluctantly, Seren turned her attention to the different plants laid out. Looking them over slowly, her eyes narrowed and for a moment she opened her mouth as though to make some sort of sharp comment, but stopped herself. Staring at the herbs for a bit longer she gave off a huff, unfolding her arms to point at the cluster of Shyvirre berries.
“Those are filled with natural arcana.. They have some sort of kai inside them.”
Argent nodded his head lightly. It was true enough, if not lacking in detail… Watching her gaze, he found himself wondering if that information was something Seren knew, or something she saw. Luckily he caught himself in the realization that he was staring at the dragonkin’s eyes before she turned to meet his own, and looked away from her before getting yelled at.
“They do. Do you know what kind?”
“Why would I know that?!”
Seren snapped, and Argent raised his hands in both defense and apology.
“Alright, alright.. Easy. Get your journal then, and I’ll explain.”
He started to ready the brewer’s apparatus as he waited for the girl to get her writing materials situated, lighting the small burner beneath a basin he had filled with distilled water.
“Like you said, Shyvirre-- or in particular the berries of the Shyvirre plant-- contain a variant of natural Kai. They have multiple uses, but the most basic and most common is this; When applied as a paste to open wounds, they exhibit tremendous mending properties.”
“So, it’s physical Kai.”
Argent looked over at Seren as she responded, surprised by the input. It was not uncommon for people to make the mistake of broadly classifying Kai as a single, universal energy which was then manipulated into an aspect. For Seren to differentiate Kai at its source, understanding that it was innately physical, implied that she had a better grasp of the way world energies worked than Argent had given her credit for.
“Actually, it’s Light.”
He commented softly, almost rueful that he had to correct her. Seren surprisingly didn’t seem to mind, reaching down to pick the berries up. Holding them in front of her face for a while she squinted at them, her mouth working itself into a half frown.
“Light, huh…?”
“Is something wrong?”
Staring at the Shyvirre for a while longer, Saren shook her head and placed it back down with the other plants. Argent watched her curiously, but it seemed that was all the answer he was going to get.
“It’s nothing. I'll remember it.”
She scrawled something in her notebook before nodding to herself, looking over expectantly at the apparatus Argent was carefully working over.
“So what’s next? You’d better be going somewhere with this.”
Her eyes sharpened as she gave him a look. Argent smiled and nodded in the affirmative. He got the impression that Seren had already started to pick up on where exactly the 'somewhere' was that he was going with this, but he humoured her exertion of pressure all the same, finding that it seemed easier to maneuver in conversation with her if she felt like she was in control.
“Well, Ginka and Kadura are similar in application. Ginka can be used to make a mild anesthetic, and Kadura is traditionally brewed into a drink used to break fevers or alleviate headaches… Put simply, they’re medicinal. And when combined properly, they make this.”
Argent gestured to the solution roiling with bubbles inside his apparatus. It was a dull, rusty colour with a strong herbal scent. Earthy but with a hint of spice, like fresh cuttings from a garden. Saren blinked, leaning closer to inspect the thickening liquid before raising a brow at Argent.
“It’s a Vitality Draught. Sometimes referred to as a lesser healing potion.”
“You mean always referred to as.”
Saren retorted somewhat dryly, causing Argent to shrug. He supposed it was true. But just because people didn’t bother to call something by its proper name didn’t change the facts. Saren shook her head at his underwhelming response with a sigh, but reached out for the potion all the same.
“Well it isn’t much, but I’ll take it--”
“--Not yet!”
Argent quickly stopped her, earning a groan in response.
“Now WHAT?”
The dragonkin fussed, clicking her tongue against her cheek. Ignoring her for the moment Argent reached out over the liquid, his hand hovering just above the layer of rising steam as he activated Catalyze. Channeling his unique powers into the reactions occurring from the heat, pouring as much arcana into the substance as possible, he measured the alteration by the colour of the draught. Stopping only after it had been purified into a strawberry red syrup.
“What did you do?”
“Something only I can.”
Smiling down at the enhanced solution, Argent realized more and more that Instructor Kingsfoot had laid this plan from the start. There had been more to her choosing him for the job than just providing the right notes. More than just his personality. She’d played the situation AND him like a fiddle, but he found he didn’t mind it.
“I don’t get it.”
“..It’s like your Sacred Shield.”
“A unique art?”
Saren sat up straight, her eyes widening a little. She looked doubtfully between Argent and the potion a few times, before swiping it and downing the entire thing in a gulp. It was only a matter of moments until the wounds began to shiver and close, her torn flesh cleanly knitting itself together. Surprise was apparent on her face, but there was also a hint of gratitude, and relief.
“Huh.. Guess I underestimated you, white-hair.”
She muttered under her breath. Her voice dropping even lower as she turned her head away evasively and all but whispered her next words.
“Thank you…”
“You’re welcome.”
Argent replied clearly, causing the dragonkin’s cheeks to flush. She avoided looking in his direction as he packed up his equipment, only turning her eyes back to him as he began to stand up. There was a hesitation there, like she wanted to say something but couldn’t as Argent handed her his notebook with a smile.
“I think Instructor Kingsfoot will forgive me if I let you copy the rest.. Just promise me you’ll actually give it some thought, alright? Read it over a little.”
“...Yeah.”
“See you in the morning?”
Seren met his eyes finally, her face set in a blank expression. They were different than they had been when she had met him at the door. Calmer, softer. Their crimson splashes filled with gentle rivulets of gold. Reaching up to brush a portion of her bangs away from her face, Seren nodded her head.
“Yeah. See you in the morning.”
