Broker

As the aspirants filed in and out of Sonya’s room to give her their best wishes, Lillian made her way into the hallway. She was beyond relieved that Sonya was okay. Better than okay from the looks of it. She’d noticed the atmosphere in the room when she’d come in after miss Black Lotus had been in there. It was far more relaxed. Whatever had happened, at least some of the air was clear. She could only hope that things in the camp would be even better than before because of it. She smiled to herself and scratched at the back of her head, wandering down the hall until she spotted Black Lotus walking out of the building towards the dojo.

She looked down at her arm and flexed it, gold flames rushing through her veins and up into her knuckles, they ignited for a moment before she put them out with a simple exhale of breath. She looked back up at Black Lotus’ retreating form. Something was changing, something was different, she could feel it building up but she couldn’t figure out what to do next. She frowned and hesitated, She’s on suspension, though, will she even talk to me about training? She pressed her lips together and bounced on the balls of her feet. C’mon Lillian, she’s not a scary person, just ask. Worse she can do is say no. 

She landed on her feet and squeezed her fists tight. Okay, you can do this, she’s in a good mood, right? Lillian reminded herself before reaching up to straighten the collar of her letterman and let out a breath. No biggie, She took a step forward and the next thing she knew she was out the door, breaking into a jog before suddenly sliding to a stop in front of the Dojo. Black Lotus was standing a few feet inside the entryway with a bottle of water in her hand and a mixed expression of amusement and concern in her face, her eyebrow raised high.

“Miss Landrey? Is everything okay? You ran all the way here,” She said and glanced past her towards the entrance of the common area with a momentary frown before looking back at her, “Nothing seems off,” She said absently and took a sip of her drink, watching Lillian catch her breath out of the corner of her eye.

Lillian was leaning on her knees, she’d crossed the distance in what felt like a heartbeat. She had always been fast, really fast, she was a runner after all. But that distance in a few seconds was… wow. She wheezed and blinked a few times before looking up at Black Lotus from her spot, “Wanted to catch up,” She breathed, “Had a question,” She stood up straight, “If that’s okay.”

Black Lotus chuckled, putting the bottle down, “Catch your breath first, young lady, is that your first time enhancing your body like that?”

Lillian furrowed her brows, “Uh… yeah, I think? Is that normal?” She asked with a frown, the rational part of her brain finally catching up with what she’d just done. She turned and looked back at the doors of the common area before looking back at Black Lotus, “Woah.”

Black Lotus shook her head and laughed, “‘Woah’, as good a reaction as one might expect,” She said and walked towards the center of the dojo, “Sit with me?” She asked.

“Yes, teacher,” Lillian said quickly and hurried over, plopping down in a lotus posture in front of Black Lotus who looked up at her expectantly after a moment, her head tilted, Lillian swallowed and set her hands on her knees, “Uh…” She started then frowned before rearticulating her words, “I feel like something’s building,” She said and put her hand on her abdomen and then drew it up to her chest, “It’s like a pressure or something. I’ve been doing as you asked every day and it feels like it’s not going anywhere anymore. I’m right at the edge of something and I just can’t get past it. Like…”

“A wall?” Black Lotus asked, tilting her head. “Is something emotionally troubling you?” She asked.

Lillian sat up straighter and flushed a little, clearing her throat, “N-no, honestly that front couldn’t be better, honestly,” She said and reached up to play with the green streak in her hair. It felt different from the rest of her hair, like a feather rather than actual hair. “Still, I feel like I can’t progress any further doing what I’ve been doing, I’ve been working out, practicing with my broadsword, I’ve memorized all the forms you taught me and I even…” She trailed off.

Her teacher leaned forward, “Even what?”

Lillian hopped to her feet, “It’s easier to show you, uh,” She turned around and spotted the practice broadsword that was kept in the dojo for her. She hustled over to it and snatched it up before hurrying back and holding it in a standard guard pose. Her legs parted parallel to her shoulders and her back straight, the hilt of her sword at an angle from her waist pointing away from her. She shifted her neck to the right and concentrated on the instincts screaming in her blood, the golden fire in her veins, the internal energy pushed out from her heart again and into her meridians. They felt tight, restricted, but the energy flowed through them. It didn’t feel like how her teacher felt when they were close by, like a constant churning sensation. She had to draw it out.

She let out a breath and let the instincts guide her before taking a strong step forward and instead of a quick and sharp blow like Black Lotus had taught, she entered into a powerful swing that brought her weapon across her field of vision in a brutally clean line. Took another step forward, her footfalls heavy, and used the momentum of the swing to curve down and back up into a diagonal uppercut. That swing came with a bit of golden flame trailing behind it. She took another step and delivered a third powerful swing downwards, the flames were like a stream now. She stopped and let out a breath, panting a little from going all out for a few seconds.

She looked back at Black Lotus, “It just came to me.”

“Unique instinctive forms for your choice of weapon,” Black Lotus said thoughtfully, rubbing her chin.

“I guess?” Lillian said and looked down at the weapon, catching the blade in her free hand, “The- The broadsword is heavy and long, if I had a hand guard or something I could hold the blade during blocks,” She said thoughtfully, just rattling off the things that had been bouncing around in her head for a while, “The pommel is tough too, I could use that,” She tilted her head and twisted it, pointing it outward, “The crossguard too, it has potential,” She said and narrowed her eyes, “I just feel it but…”

“Not quite there yet,” Black Lotus nodded, “And how do you feel about mana and internal energy?” She asked thoughtfully.

Lillian frowned and sat down heavily, resting her broadsword on her shoulder as she flexed her fingers, “I feel mana in the air, it was like a buzz before but now it feels like, I dunno, just untapped uh…” She scratched her head, “Potency, potency, that’s the word. Like not power really, but the potential for power. It feels alive but not, it’s not moving under its own will, like clouds.”

“Like clouds?” Black Lotus asked, smiling a bit to herself, “As in the carter radar reports?”

Lillian shook her head, not noticing her teacher’s grin, “No, no, not like that, I feel like I should be able to grab onto it. Like it’s right in front of me,” She clenched her fist, “Mana, Internal Energy, they can hurt and heal, they can do anything, it’s more than I could have ever imagined. I just feel like there’s a fundamental something that I’m just not getting,” She looked up at Black Lotus desperately, “What am I missing? What don’t I get?”

Black Lotus raised an eyebrow, “I can’t spoon feed that to you,” She said patiently, “I can suggest that you spend a little time thinking hard about the flash, Miss Landrey, Lillian,” She continued and pat her knees, “Meditate on it, deeply meditate, let your thoughts wander on the possibilities and I think you might just find your answer. You are so close to something I experienced,” She said gently, looking nostalgic for a moment, “Don’t force it, take your time, and let it happen. Inspiration might come when you least expect it.”

Lillian searched her teachers face but the woman kept her expression carefully controlled, she wasn’t getting any more out of her. She smiled, “Thanks teacher,” She said and bowed her head before glancing up with one eye and a hesitant smile, “So… about our sessions?”

Black Lotus barked out a genuine laugh, “I’m sorry, but I am technically suspended. I can offer you advice but I can’t act as a formal teacher at the camp for the next month. I’m just staying here to rest, it's been a while since I did that, I think,” She said thoughtfully before glancing at Lillian, “Even I hit walls every now and then,” She said with a smirk before raising her hand to wave a dismissal, “Now go on, think about what we talked about and give those ideas of yours a chance,” She said, “Just do what feels right, you have good instincts and a good heart, use it.”

Lillian got to her feet and bowed at the waist, “Thank you again, teacher,” She said with a big smile and hurried off to put away her broadsword and dart back to the common area.

–

Chunhua watched her pupil go with a bit of pride in her heart, “So close to your first breakthrough in enlightenment,” She said and let out a sigh, “So strong too,” She glanced up at the spot where she’d been swinging her sword, She’s marching towards the peak of Rare in no-time flat. Once she breaks through and starts cycling, she’ll reach the peak of Rare without a doubt, Chunhua thought before frowning and glancing at the opening, Yet I can feel like that’s only the beginning. Her first step. What on Earth have you created, Sonya? Was this an effort to replace me? To do what I won’t? She rest her hands in her lap, Now that you know you have people to live for, what does that mean for her? 

She let out a breath and reached up to place a hand over her heart, My heart demon is easing, I feel stronger already. I’ve been so weak and I’ve fallen behind, I could barely keep up with Ishtar. I wouldn’t be surprised if Sapporo could take me out at half power. She took a centering breath and exhaled, tilting her head back and humming herself into meditation and smiled. That wild girl, coming in here and getting me all pumped up. I want to get stronger too. Maybe it's time I started chasing my second breakthrough.

She let her mind wander, feeling the mana teeming in the air around her and began drawing it into her body. She drank deeply this time, not the short bursts to use simple strikes like the ones at The Hague. She gathered her power as her meditation deepened, I wonder… will her voice sound different… to me?

–

Lillian pat her shoulder and rolled it a little as she walked into the common area, most of the others were all situated in their usual spots and she quickly found her group. She waved once at Jessica and Luke who nodded at her and even met Cassiopeia’s eyes. She looked tired but a bit more pleasant than usual. Wait, isn’t she… She shook off the thoughts, who she was related to didn’t matter one whit, she was her own person. She smiled at the blonde who gave a tired half-smile back and returned to reading something on a tablet. Lillian shrugged and stopped next to the others at their cluster of couches.

“Feelin’ better Ollie?” She asked with a grin, putting her hands on her hips.

Ollie looked up from his usual mind-bending mass of notes and actually put his pen down, “I am, thank you. Sorry about that display,” He rubbed his hands together, “Miss Chernovna stuck her neck out for me and after the speech at the Committee,” He trailed off as the other members of the Nashville team went quiet for a moment.

“I still feel kinda giddy, thinking about it,” Alex said and rubbed his nose with a stupid smile, “Wears his scales with pride, you’re damn right I do.”

Val clenched his fists, his colorful eyes glowing a bright red for a moment and broke into a savage grin, “I’m so amped up I can’t sit still. I just need my gear, it’s gonna be done by the end of the week apparently,” He said and literally hopped to his feet, “I’m gonna run some friggin laps,” He said and darted out the door like a bullet.

Greg laughed and rubbed his nose, “Y’know, I heard that Euclidia’s looking for heroes with a knack for logistics to train up after the main course,” He said, “I might ask Miss Chernovna about going to the UK,” He said before glancing towards one particular black-and-blue haired girl who was talking with her friends off to the side, “Y’know, maybe, I mean,” He said hesitantly.

John bit into his sandwich, “Emotional,” He mumbled after chewing, “Did not sleep well.”

They all looked at him blankly before Lillian caught herself and glanced around, “Wait, where’s Snow?”

Greg looked up and tilted his head, “Huh? Isn’t she attached to you at the hip?” He asked with a chuckle before wincing at her frown, “Uh…” He glanced around, “Honestly, no, she’s usually either down in the lab or going straight to one of her other courses,” He scratched his head and glanced at Alex, “You?”

Alex blinked and looked up from mumbling something to his fists, “Huh? Snow? Oh yeah I saw her go around the back of the common building. Figured she just needed some alone time, it’s pretty crowded here sometimes and she ain’t a social butterfly,” Alex said with a shrug.

Lillian nodded now feeling even more worried, “Thanks, I’ll be back!” She said and quickly darted away.

Is she okay? Lillian thought, hopping over the rails of the planetary diorama and shooting past it like a rocket. She landed at the doors leading out back and pushed out, glancing around quickly. She took a few steps forward then stopped, turning around to glance at the small alcove just to the right of the door. There, sitting in the grass, with her hood up and her legs pulled tightly to her chest, was Snow. A pair of pearlescent eyes looked up at her, a few tears in them, but they were accompanied by a smile. 

“There you are,” She breathed and walked over, “I was looking for you.”