Chapter Text
Sara Valestein was no fan of the city of Bareahard. It was filled to the brim with pompous nobles, and not even their defeat in the civil war had managed to deflate their hot air fully. She was perfectly content to avoid the city as much as possible and let Toval handle most of the limited bracer work the Kreuzen province and surrounding areas provided.
So when her fellow bracer had called that morning to tell her about an incident that had occurred near the Verdant City she was perfectly content to let his words go in one ear and out the other. That was until he mentioned a certain name. Within minutes she was on the next train headed to that obnoxious place.
She made a mental note to buy the Zero Artisan a bottle of beer the next time she saw him. The good stuff, to boot. It had been two years since she mentioned that name to him originally and yet he somehow remembered this entire time.
Reaching the guardhouse in Bareahard the A-Rank bracer effortlessly ignored the annoyed scowls of the provincial soldiers on duty as she strolled past them. On one hand she could sympathize with them being told that an outsider was being allowed to take over their job.
On the other hand the Kreuzen Provincial Army had tried to kill her brats many times during that year at Thors, so screw 'em.
None of them offered to show her the way through the building, but that was perfectly fine to her. This was a job for her and her alone. Idiot soldiers would only get in her way.
It wasn't long before she reached her destination: the holding cells. More specifically, the cell that held a girl behind the bars, who was currently staring at Sara with a bored look on her face.
One glance was all it took to confirm that this was indeed the same girl she had been interested in these past two years, just a little older. That being said it was clear that the two years hadn't been kind to the prisoner, based on her messy silver hair, tattered clothes, and overall haggard appearance. Still, despite her captivity Sara could see plenty of life in those chartreuse eyes as the younger girl immediately sized her up.
“Soooo...” Sara drawled. “You've been busy these last couple years Sylphid... or would you rather I call you by your name, Fie Claussell?”
The girl – Fie – said nothing in return, but Sara hadn't expected otherwise. Instead she opened the folder that had been in her hands and glanced down at the paper inside it. “Let's see... Former member of the Zephyr jaeger corp. After they disbanded you went on your own way and began doing freelance mercenary work. That correct so far?”
Once again she was met with silence. Letting out a simple shrug she returned her gaze to the page. The page itself was completely blank and something she had 'borrowed' from one of the guards on a whim, but she felt it would serve her well in this interrogation. Make Fie think that they knew more than they really did, even if she was making some big time shots in the dark here. “Work must have been good that first year, year? All that tension between the Noble Alliance and the Imperial Government... I bet even a kid like you got plenty of jobs.”
Closing the folder she stared at the girl. “But that all changed after the war ended, didn't it? As stability returned to Erebonia an unaffiliated girl like yourself began to struggle. Employers began to short you, missions became increasingly shady... And now look at you. Pretty much just a common bandit at this point.”
It was that desperation that got her captured. Her less than legal actions had attracted a lot of unwelcome attention, and even as skilled as she was she wasn't unbeatable. A little tantalizing bait and the Kreuzen Provincial Army had nabbed themselves a Sylphid.
For the briefest of moments Fie flinched. Having your pride as a jaeger called out like that stung, something which Sara knew from experience. The moment passed quickly as the girl masked her frustration with a scoff. “What do you know?”
“Ah. It can speak.” Perhaps teasing her wasn't the best idea with everything she had planned, but she couldn't help herself. Time to change approach a bit. “I was there, you know. That day when Rutger Claussell and Baldur Orlando killed each other. The guild was quite interested in a battle to the death between the two strongest jaegers in Zemuria.”
She paused briefly, considering her next words. “You were there too, of course. I remember being interested in that young girl that was hanging around with Shirley Orlando during the fight. Tried to find you after Zephyr disbanded, but you managed to slip away during the confusion.”
“Guess you were just too slow.” Fie mocked.
The bracer let out an easy shrug, having half-expected such a response. “Guess so. I wanted to keep looking for you, but got stuck on a long term job. Piece of advice: If anyone ever asks you to become a teacher at a military academy you should just start running and don't stop. Those brats will be the end of you.”
A slightly raised eyebrow was the only sign of Fie's interest, although she recovered quickly and resumed her mask of indifference. “Why do you care about me anyways?”
“...You do know who I am, right?” Sara Valestein. The daughter of Colonel Valestein, former leader of the Northern Jaegers. The silver-haired girl averting her expression let her know that she knew. “You reminded me of myself so I wanted to help you out a bit.”
Fie scoffed again, clearly not believing her. “Yeah, right.”
Sara couldn't help but soften her gaze a little. “Zephyr leaving you behind like that must have hurt, didn't it?”
This time Fie was unable to hide her reaction and for the first time she looked like what she truly was: A lonely seventeen year old girl who had been abandoned by her only family and had been on her own ever since. Seeing her like that only reaffirmed Sara's desire to help her in any way possible.
“As crazy as it might sound, there are people in this world who do care about you, even if you've never met them. Trust me, I was just as lost and confused as you are when the Colonel died. I had no idea what to do with my life...”
“...And how did you figure it out?” At the very least Fie now seemed curious about her words, which was a marked improvement from her earlier indifference.
The Purple Lightning smiled as she thought back to a day long ago. “I never would have figured it out on my own, but someone reached out to help me.” She made a mental note to stop by Trista and hang out with Beatrix at some point. This conversation was doing a good job at reminding her of just how much she owed the older woman. “Now I want to help you out, but only if you'll let me.”
“Aren't I just going to prison.” The girl gave a pointed look towards her current confinements. “Pretty sure you bracers doesn't have much authority in Erebonia anymore, so I'm not sure what you can even do for me.”
The dig at the current status of her employment stung, even if there was no malice behind her words. “You're not wrong,” She conceded reluctantly. “But for once in your life you got lucky, cause you got caught in the one city where I have some high connections.” Having a former student as the Duke? Pretty handy.
“...I'm not becoming a bracer.”
“Nah. That probably wouldn't be a good idea.” Maybe down the line once she's learned to work with others it would be fun, but the idea of her as a bracer now was pretty laughable.
Sara hummed aloud. Truthfully she had been more focused on how to get Fie to accept her help than she had on what she planned on doing with her after. “It's a shame, you know? If I had found you two years ago I could have brought you with me to Thors and you could have spent your time with a bunch of equally messed up kids. Class VII would have been good for you, I think.” Sadly, that chance had long since passed-
She froze. That wasn't entirely untrue, now was it? While she didn't know all the details of Prince Olivert's plans for the Thors Branch Campus, there were a few things she understood very well: It's first semester was starting in a little over a week. There was going to be a Class VII there. It was to be led by her shining star pupil who was always willing to take on her work. Another teacher there just so happened to be the former student council president who also took on Sara's work. The principal there happened to be a powerhouse who she knew fairly well from the recent war as a surprisingly pleasant woman who did whatever she felt like, consequences be damned. And if the rumor she heard was true, even Randy Orlando – someone with a similar background to them – would also be there! It was perfect.
Or was it? As she stared at the blank-faced girl a bunch of problems arose. How could she get Fie to not bolt as soon as she was left alone? Could she – a girl with absolutely no formal education – survive in one of Erebonia's top schools without any prep, even if it was merely the branch version? And would Rean and the others be alright with such an arrangement?
Well, there was only one way to find out. “I have an idea. I just need to go make some calls. You can... wait right there for a bit, yeah?” She probably deserved the very unamused glare from the prisoner, but it was funny in her mind and since she wasn't the one locked up a dingy old prison cell her opinion was the only one that mattered.
First she needed to get Aurelia on board. Considering the stories she had been hearing about the purpose of the Branch Campus she couldn't help but think that the new principal would be alright with a last minute transfer with such a troubled past. After that it was a simple matter of convincing Rean to accept this responsibility in her place. It would be a lot of work trying to earn Fie's trust and getting her caught up academically, but she knew he could pull it off.
It helped that the kid was a complete sucker who could never say no to anyone in need, so she wasn't worried at all about him taking on this job for her.
Three days later a frowning Fie Claussell found herself sitting outside of an office while the individuals inside were deciding her future fate. For someone who had spent the greater part of her life on her own it was a disconcerting feeling, but there was little she could do about it and she knew it.
Traveling alongside Sara these past two days after being freed from prison had been an interesting experience. The woman – despite her skill and reputation – was extremely relaxed and occasionally even a slob. It wasn't at all what she had expected from the legendary Purple Lightning. More than once during her trip did the older woman kick back and drink herself into a stupor.
And yet even though she was inebriated beyond belief Fie hadn't taken the chance to leave, something which surprised even herself. While she wouldn't say she trusted the bracer, she couldn't deny that she felt a sort of kinship with her and was curious as to what made the former Northern Jaeger tick.
And despite herself she couldn't help but be curious at just how the woman was actually going to 'help' her. The very idea that she could ever end up like a normal person was laughable and she had said that to Sara's face many times, but the woman had only responded with a knowing smirk that annoyed the girl beyond belief.
As much as she would never admit it, Fie was willing to give whatever crazy idea Sara had come up with a try, because she was simply tired. Tired of running. Tired of fighting for every idiot that offered mira. Tired of being alone. Two years later and the void in her heart that Zephyr had once filled was growing larger and larger and now threatened to consume her fully.
So as pessimistic as she was, the former jaeger continued to tread the same path as the bracer. And that path had led them to the town of Leeves where she found herself waiting as Sara conversed with whomever was in that office.
Just looking around at the building they were currently in was enough to give Fie a good idea of what Sara's plan entailed. Thors Military Academy Branch Campus. She had no idea what a branch campus was, but even she knew of Thors. Being enrolled in a school sounded like the dullest thing imaginable, but at least this place was a combat school so she was a little interested despite herself.
The door opened and a pale-faced Sara walked out. “Hey so.... Good news? The principal is inside and wants to meet with you, but I... have other business to take care of? I'm sure we'll see each other again, but... uhh... bye for now!”
Fie could only blink in confusion as the woman who had spent the last two days with all but sprinted out the door and out of her life just like that. Had she really just up and abandoned her like that?
“Fie Claussell?” A powerful sounding voice boomed from the office. “You may enter.”
Despite having fought on many a battlefield in her short life the silver-haired warrior couldn't help but shudder nervously. Something about that voice unsettled her and she knew that there would be hell to pay if she didn't heed the order. So putting thoughts of Sara out of her mind the girl stood and reluctantly made her way into the office.
Inside the room there was only one occupant sitting calmly behind a desk, but her presence was enough to make the large office feel tiny. She said nothing as Fie entered, but her sharp eyes never once left her and the former jaeger found herself wanting to shuffle on her feet nervously like some child under the scrutiny.
“Hmm...” The principal hummed thoughtfully after a minute. “Alright. You're in.”
“H-Huh?” Just like that?!
The woman nodded, seemingly content with her decision. “You have the air of a warrior around you, and so much untapped potential just waiting to be realized. That's good enough for me. My name is Aurelia Le Guin, the principal of this school. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to Thors Branch Campus.”
“Fie Claussell. And... thanks?” She still wasn't for this new arrangement, but she also now understood that she was standing in front of the Golden Rakshasa. This was a woman that even Boss admired as a warrior of unparalleled strength and skill! Survival instincts demanded that she play this as respectfully as her jaeger pride would allow.
Le Guin steepled her fingers in front of her. “Valestein told me a little about your situation. Your experience on the battlefield should serve you well inside these walls. Your former affiliation is of no matter here, as this entire school is a trash bin designed to house those that the government finds too troublesome, faculty included.”
“Uh...” The way she calmly said that without a shred of emotion threw her for a loop. A trash bin?
“But understand this:” Suddenly the air in the room got a lot colder and Fie found herself standing upright. “While I am a firm believer in second chances, I do not believe in a third. If you do anything to bring dishonor to this academy or its students there will be hell to pay. And don't even think about running away as I will hunt you to Gehenna and back if I need to. Am I understood?”
“U-Understood!” There had been many times in Zephyr when Fie had been convinced she had been about to die. The past few seconds would rank up there with any of them. If the Golden Rakshasa's intent had been to thoroughly remove the idea of escaping the campus in the middle of the night then mission accomplished.
Again Aurelia nodded her head. “Good. So long as we are clear on that.” She reached for a sleek new orbment unit on her desk. Was that one of the new ARCUS models she had heard about? “Classes don't begin until next week so there are very few people currently on campus. Luckily for you there's one teacher that arrived early. I am going to have her get you situated. You can wait outside for her.” The dismissal was obvious so the silver-haired girl made her retreat as calmly as possible away from such an overwhelming monster. “Hmm... A shame Valestein was too busy to cross blades with me...” ...And now she understood why the bracer had left in such a hurry.
Once safely away from Aurelia Le Guin (although privately she considered any distance below two hundred arge as not safe enough), Fie again found herself playing the waiting game. So she was to be a student here for the next two years...? The idea was so insane, but reality could be pretty insane at times. She could only imagine how Xeno and Leo would react if they saw her now. Would they laugh at her?
Or maybe they just wouldn't care? They did abandon her without hesitation once the Boss died, after all...
“Um... Hello there?”
Fie blinked, mentally chiding herself for getting so caught in her thoughts that someone managed to get the drop on her. In her haste to make up for her blunder she said the first thing that came to mind as she glanced at the girl who had addressed her. “...You're tiny.” Didn't the principal say there were no other students here right now?
“Haha.... I get that a lot.” To her credit the brown-haired girl didn't seem all that offended. “My name is Towa Herschel. I'm going to be a teacher here. It's a pleasure to meet you.”
Really? This tiny girl was supposed to be an instructor at what was supposedly one of the most elite military academies on the continent? She looked completely harmless! Maybe this was an elaborate prank or something? “...I'm Fie.”
“Mmm. Principal Le Guin asked me to give you a tour of this place just now. Actually, I had just been talking with Instructor Sara and she asked me if I could help out too. She said that due to your background there might be some holes in your education...?”
“Ugh...” The unfortunate reality that this was in fact a school and she would need to actually learn useless things was beginning to settle in for her. “Fine...” And yet she didn't have the heart to tell this kind girl off.
Towa giggled, clearly finding amusement in her internal struggle. “Don't worry. I'm sure you'll do fine!” Fie seriously doubted that. “But for now let's just take care of that tour. And afterwords, do you want to grab dinner together?”
After having been on her own for so long Fie still wasn't comfortable spending time with other people unless absolutely required, but she couldn't deny that eating alongside Sara had been surprisingly entertaining. So despite her reservations she gave the supposedly older girl a nod in affirmation, causing her to beam.
Fie let out a yawn as she roused herself from her bed. It took a second before her brain remembered exactly where she was as she glanced around at the unfamiliar settings.
This was her dorm room.
The room was vast, but that wasn't a surprise as the three beds it held made it clear that she would be expecting roommates in a few days. Still, while the room itself didn't bother her she couldn't help but frown at just how spartan it was. The only items in the room were the few things she had in her possession: Her gunblades, her few clothes, what few tools she still had, and that was it.
Plus the school uniform she was dreading having to wear once classes finally began.
The town of Leeves was like most other places in Erebonia, she supposed. While she still wasn't entirely convinced that Towa Herschel was an instructor, there was no denying that the girl had made for a very thorough guide so she was fairly sure she had seen all of what the little town had to offer. A few shops, some places to eat, and plenty of residents that she wanted to avoid as much as possible.
That being said, the presence of Neinvalli in one of the back alleys was a total shock to the former jaeger. That place was one of Boss's favorites, but that was in Crossbell. Sadly the place wasn't opened yet for her to investigate further, but if it actually was like the store she knew this meant she had a place available to restock some of her less than legal tools once she had mira.
...And as much as she wanted to forget about it, the thought of purchasing information about the whereabouts of Zephyr hadn't left her mind since that discovery. Neinvalli did deal in information as much as weapons, after all.
Shaking off such dour thoughts the girl proceeded to get dressed before exiting her dorm. The only other occupants of the large building at the moment were the few faculty members currently at Leeves, and given that it was late in the morning she was sure that all of them had long since left, giving her free reign to do whatever she wanted, which admittedly wasn't much.
A quick soak in the obscenely luxurious baths, breakfast using a stipend the school was temporarily offering her since neither the cafeteria was running nor was the dorm kitchen stocked, and after that...
Maybe seek out a good spot for a nap? It wasn't as if she had anything better to do with her time.
“Um...” Towa smiled weakly as she shifted her gaze between the paper she was holding and Fie.
The recipient shrugged, having already expected such a response. It wasn't her fault. She wanted nothing to do with the test that the older girl made her do, claiming it would help gauge where she most needed help.
“Well... there are positives at least! You scored pretty well on the questions pertaining to Military Science and Combat Studies. Or at least you did on the practical questions. The theoretical ones you could use a little help on, but it's a start. And I'm sure your actual combat skills are quite impressive! The combat instructors will like that!”
That would be impressive praise, if not for the fact that Military Science and Combat Studies weren't even a third of the subjects that Towa had tested her on. Math? History? Political economics? All of these were subjects that she knew she had failed spectacularly on.
And the dumbest of all... “Why is art even a thing here?”
“Hmm...” Towa pondered the question. “While this is a military academy, art is still an essential subject to help broaden your mindset and allow you to experience a different way of understanding. More than half the students who graduate here go off to non-military careers, after all.” Fie scoffed, not at all impressed with the answer. “Plus it's the class that Principal Le Guin is personally teaching, so...”
Fie knew she had failed to conceal her shock and horror based on the amused giggles her partner was emitting. Any thoughts of blowing off the seemingly useless class died a terrible death as she imagined the reactions from that terrifying woman.
This year was going to suck.
She stretched as she exited the library. Towa had suggested that she spend these free days before class finally began in that large room of books, and the silver-haired student thought it was a great idea, much to the teacher's happiness.
...Of course while the kind instructor probably wanted her to actually learn from the books Fie instead found the place to be an ideal indoor nap location.
Finishing her stretching she considered her next course of action. It was still two days until the beginning of the semester on April first and she was bored out of her mind. Sleep. Eat. Sleep. Train. Sleep...
The door to Principal Aurelia's office opened and Fie's immediate instinct was to flee lest the terrifying woman take an interest in her, but that urge faded when she noticed that none of the people exiting were her. Given that the first one out was Towa she could only assume the other staff had finally arrived and had been in a meeting together.
After Towa came an old man in a lab-coat. Since he barely spared Fie a glance before walking off she promptly ignored him in turn.
Behind him was a man in an officer's uniform. Unlike the geezer, this one gazed upon the girl with hard eyes. “Tch.” He muttered aloud before approaching. “You must be Claussell. Know that I was against your enrollment, but the principal – in all her wisdom – decided to allow it despite my protests. I will be watching you.”
“Major Michael...” Towa whined with a frown as she paused to glance back at them.
Great. A hard-ass military type. Just what she needed. Not wanting to deal with that right now she simply shrugged off his warning, causing the man to scoff before brusquely walking away.
Thoughts of annoying military officers left her mind when her eyes caught sight of a very familiar hue of crimson. There was no possible way! Her eyes had to be playing tricks on her!
And yet even blinking wasn't enough to get the visage of the very familiar tall man out of her sight. “Red...Reaper...?”
“Huh?” Her mutter caused his attention to focus on her. “Well I'll be damned! Sylphid, is that you!?”
“Do... You two know each other?” Towa asked innocently.
Her question caused the now confirmed Randy Orlando to let out a barking laugh. “Know each other? Hell! Our dads murdered each other!”
“Um...” The older girl looked absolutely lost at that revelation.
“W-What are you doing here?” From what she could recall, the man across from her had left the Red Constellation jaeger corps about the same time as she became a full-fledged member of Zephyr. She was fortunate to have never fought the man herself, but Zephyr lost a lot of people thanks to the son of the War God.
Needless to say, seeing him here and now like this had thrown her for a complete loop.
The tall man gave an easy shrug. “You know how these things are. I was stationed over in Crossbell, but the Imperial Government thought I could use a change of scenery. So they offered me a transfer here. It was a deal I just couldn't refuse.”
“Huh...” It was obvious to her that he meant that last part very literally. It seemed that this school really was a dumping ground for people Erebonia didn't want to deal with. Oddly enough that was a comfort to her. “Guess our situations aren't all that different, though it was a bracer and not the government for me.”
“Ahh...” The man tried to appear sagely as he bobbed his head. He failed.
Towa looked nervous as she glanced between the two. “So you two used to be... enemies? I-Is that going to be a problem?”
“Nah.” Randy waved her off flippantly. “You don't need to worry 'bout a thing, Towa. When you're a jaeger yesterday's enemies are your friends today.” Despite herself she couldn't help but not in agreement. “It's a shame Fie's a little too young. Would love to share some drinks and swap stories with her.”
The Red Reaper paused as he glanced between the two girls thoughtfully. “Huh. Gonna need to step up my nickname game here. Gotta find something for the two of you...”
Fie blinked before sharing a glance with an equally befuddled Towa. Nicknames?
“Eh. Whatever. I'll come up with something later. I didn't see Sylphid on my list. She one of yours?”
“N-No. She's gonna be in Class VII.”
“With our war hero, huh? Is he here yet?”
Despite herself Fie couldn't help but perk up as she listened to the conversation. War hero? Even though she had mostly kept to herself these past two years it was impossible not to pick up things, especially from the war. While there were a few characters who fit the description, there was only one that was tied to Sara Valestein's former class. The same class that she now apparently found herself in.
She was going to be a student to the Ashen Chevalier.
Towa shook her head. “He won't be here until the day classes start.”
“That's a shame. I've heard plenty of stories about the guy.” The way Randy's eyes narrowed made it obvious to Fie that not all of those stories were positive. “Looking forward to meeting the man behind the legends myself. Ah well.” The older man glanced down at her. “Well, I got things to do, but we should hang out. Even without the drinks I still wanna hear what you've been up to these last few years.” With a wave he was gone.
Towa too seemed anxious to leave. “The first students will be arriving tomorrow so the principal wants me to make sure everything is ready for them. I'll talk to you later, Fie!”
And with that, the silver-hair girl found herself alone again. But while her earlier reservations about this entire situation remained, she couldn't help but be a little more interested in things. There were so many famous individuals teaching at this school. The Golden Rakshasa. Red Reaper. The Ashen Chevalier... Towa?
Perhaps this year would be more interesting than she had thought?