Bold: Time/Location
Italic: Character Thoughts/Internal Monologue
Underline: Author's Note(s)
Arena 3 - No POV
The impact Cecilia anticipated never came, at least not as hard as she thought. At the last minute before impact with the ground, she felt her body move and something metal grasp onto her, pulling her into a roll. Feeling the impact and skidding across the ground, Cecilia clenched her eyes shut, her body shaking in terror from the near-death experience. After a brief moment that seemed like a lifetime to her, she opened her eyes, not sure what she would find when she did. Greeting her closely was the armor of the Black Eagle mere inches from her face. Still mortified, she looked around to get a better idea of what had happened, observing a trail embedded in the ground from the fall. Looking forward and below her was James staring at her with his helmet's glowing blue eyes. His arms were wrapped tightly around Blue Tears, and he had clearly put himself underneath her shortly before the impact which caused the massive line in the ground. While she stared into his faceplate, suddenly all the emotions of worry raging inside her had vanished. She felt relieved, and safe, though there was something else she couldn't quite put her finger on.
She heard the arena speakers announce "The match is concluded. Winner: Ichika Orimura and James Riker." She cursed herself mentally for allowing this defeat to occur. "Are you unharmed Ms. Alcott?" the robotic voice asked, but not as loud as it was during the match. Cecilia simply stared at him, mouth agape and a blatant blush on her face. The moment that lasted minutes to her was broken when she realized that they were in a rather provocative position. "I....I...." was all she managed to get out. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tried again "You...saved me?" James nodded and responded "Despite evidence to the contrary, that was my intent." James gently grabbed her IS by the shoulders and lifted her up onto her feet, getting off of his back into an upright position. Standing up himself, the duo deactivated their suits. Her vision briefly doubled due to being dizzy from the traumatic event. As she lost her balance and prepared to hit the ground, she once again felt a pair of arms wrap around her, but this wasn't like the first time. It was soft, secure, and comforting. No real sense of danger attached. Tilting her head up to see James looking down at her, something about his stern face and bright blue eyes spoke to her without the need for words.
"Please Ms. Alcott, allow me to escort you to the infirmary. You should be checked for any serious damage I may have caused." he said to her. Cecilia noted something about his tone. It was unlike what she had previously witnessed from her prior interactions with him. He seemed worried, less distant and confident than he usually was. "James..." she stated his name to herself. "Can you walk?" he asked her. "I...no, I don't quite believe I can..." replying in her deep British accent even though she wasn't dizzy anymore, her face turning a deep shade of pink. "What was that?! I almost said yes!" scolding herself in her head, unsure why she told him she couldn't. "Very well, I will carry you to the infirmary." He placed his metal hand behind her back and his other below her legs, lifting her into his arms bridal-style. With the audience watching, she felt extremely embarrassed but also relieved and gratified. Looking up at her hero, she noticed James was not at all flustered or embarrassed by his display like she was. Ichika flew over to them in Byakushiki, dematerializing it as he reached their location. "That fight was intense James! Your IS is a total beast!" yelled Ichika in excitement. "Ms. Alcott requires medical attention, I will be transporting her to the infirmary." he told Ichika, not even acknowledging the compliment he received. "Really? Are you okay Cecilia?" he asked her. "I'm not quite sure just yet..." she softly responded. James proceeded to walk with her in his arms out of the arena. On his way out, he called to Ichika as he carried the defeated representative contender. "I would like to have a word with you later, Mr. Orimura."
Timeskip - Academy Infirmary - Cecilia's POV
After a few minutes being carried through the hallways prompting various embarrassing stares from other girls at James' display of care, we finally arrived at the infirmary. The staff were quick to get me sorted into one of the light blue blanketed beds, asking me routine questions and performing various tests with my coordination and vision. "Everything looks fine at the moment Ms. Alcott. We'd like you to stay here for just a few more minutes to be absolutely sure." one of the nurses told me. "Splendid, I'll be waiting here." I responded, looking around the white room noticing no other students besides me and James. Looking back at the pilot of the fierce IS that defeated me, I saw him staring at the wall ahead of my bed like a statue, his arms crossed in front of him. It almost felt like he was guarding me. "James." I called his name. He turned his head toward me, blinking a few times. "Yes, Ms. Alcott?" I paused for a moment, something didn't quite feel right about him referring to me in such a formal way after what happened. "Please, call me Cecilia." I requested.
After a moment, he dipped his head in acknowledgement. "I was wondering, just what exactly is your IS? I hadn't really gotten the chance to learn all that much about it." I asked, my voice hinting that I was embarrassed at being beaten after my display leading up to the match. "I'm sorry Cecilia, but much of the information is classified. I can tell you some basic specifications which you have already seen and not much more." I puffed my cheeks in disappointment at that. Sighing, I allowed him to continue "Very well, please go on." "The name of my IS is the Black Eagle. For the most part, it's a standard generation 2 design. The primary weapons system consists of a GAU-17/A gatling cannon and a simple combat knife for CQC. What makes my IS special is the munitions power transfer module, which I can use to divert all power from the propulsion and navigation systems to the missile launchers, allowing me to fire more missiles than any other IS." he said sounding like a computer, not even bothering to sit down while telling me any of this. "So you can fire as many missiles as you want at the cost of flight?" He affirmed my question with a nod. "Yes and no. I can only fire missiles so long as there is enough power to do so. If for whatever reason the power from the engine systems is insufficient, my IS will begin siphoning power from the shield system to compensate. In effect, my IS is something of a one trick pony. It is not meant for long term engagement, rather surgical strikes that deal devastating damage." he added on. "I see. How is it you managed to avoid being detected during the match?" I asked. "The suit is equipped with holographic projection panels on the outer layer of the armor. Essentially, a perfect camouflage." "How is it that I saw no footprints when you moved?" I inquired once more. "The cloaking system is tied to the thrusters. While my missile system is active, I can slightly hover above the ground rather than engaging in full flight while cloaked. I am free to fly normally with the cloak while my weapons are not active however." he answered. "Is it safe to assume you cannot use your weapons while your camouflage is active as well?" He nodded his head. "Quite the powerful IS. It's no wonder I lost to you." I dishearteningly responded. "Please do not feel inadequate Cecilia. Your IS is powerful and you are a skilled pilot. It was simply an unwinnable match for you given what you were fighting." he reassured me. I wasn't sure whether or not to be offended or flattered, so I chose the latter. "Well, when you put it like that..." I finished.
Right as our conversation concluded, one of the nurses came back to check on me. "Well Ms. Alcott, it seems like you are in perfect health! Very surprising to say the least after what happened." she said that last part while glaring daggers at James, who did not even turn to look at her. "I apologize for becoming overzealous. I did not anticipate the attack proving to be as powerful as it was. It seems it was an excessive use of force. I am gratified to hear you are unharmed Cecilia." he said, staring me in the eyes with the same look he had back in the arena just a short while ago. I could feel my face heating up at his concern over me. "Oh James, please don't fret. We did put on a wonderful show didn't we?" I cheerfully inquired. He looked out the window of the infirmary for a moment and then answered "I suppose we did." "Since she is okay, we are releasing her from the infirmary. Please be more careful when attacking in a duel Mr. Riker." she commanded him. Turning to answer her, he replied "Understood, I will endeavor to show more restraint in the future."
James turned back face to me, straightening his arm and left hand toward me. I took it, and noticed his hand was colder than I thought it would be. "I'll ask him how he got that at some point...I'm sure it's a touchy subject..." I noted to myself as he pulled me out of the bed onto my feet. "Would you like me to escort you to your room Cecilia?" Blushing profusely at his kindness, I almost screamed "No thank you! I'm sure I can manage Mr. Riker!" "I understand. I will see you in class tomorrow, please rest well." he finalized, exiting the room as he spoke.
Timeskip - IS Academy - James' POV
After ensuring that Cecilia was okay, I wandered the hallways attempting to ascertain where the classroom was. The sun was starting to set, so many of the students were returning to their rooms. Eventually I ran into Ichika, so I took the opportunity to talk to him as I told him I would after the match. "Mr. Orimura." I called his name. He turned back to look at me with a smile on his face. "Oh hey James! You said you wanted to talk to me earlier right?" he said as he approached me. "Correct." I confirmed. "What did you want to talk-" "You were sloppy." I quickly cut him off. His demeanor changed from joy to anger in a heartbeat. "Hey! It was my first time fighting a representative contender in an IS, what did you expect?!" he yelled. "It was mine as well. You did not even manage to unlock Byakushiki's first shift." Clearly confused, he asked "Huh? What do you mean first shift?" "You were in Byakushiki's default mode during that entire engagement. This means that the IS has not fully finished configuring to your style of combat. You need to fight more with it to unlock the first shift." Ichika was clearly overwhelmed by this information "Slow down, I don't understand. What is a shift?" I sighed in annoyance at having to explain this, but I suppose I shouldn't be too hard on him since he is new. "A shift is when an IS finishes changing itself to meet the demands of its user. With each shift, it grants you access to additional performance increases and abilities. Most if not all personal IS users will have unlocked their first shift."
Ichika stood there for a moment seemingly trying to grasp this information. "I think I get it, thanks James. I guess I'll just need to practice more!" he thanked me. He yawned while rubbing the back of his neck with his hand and started to walk back to his room. "I came here to learn information, not provide it..." I said to myself with a sigh after having to explain IS related things to two different people today. As I walked down the corridors, I finally managed to spot a recognizable landmark and guided myself to the classroom. When I arrived, I noticed Ms. Orimura standing next to my desk with a hand on her right hip, her form contrasting against the light of dusk. I stopped in the doorway as we stared at each other for a good ten seconds. Shifting my focus to my desk, I noticed she had gone through my things. On my desk sat the pistol loaded with the nonlethal toxin rounds. "Shit..." I scolded myself for being so careless. "Would you care to explain to me why you have a firearm at my academy Mr. Riker?" she asked threateningly while holding the pistol in front of her. "It's for non-lethal self defense ma'am. I have not removed it from my bag since I arrived." I said, standing at attention. "I see, and I thought I told you to call me teacher." I had forgotten that, and corrected myself "Yes teacher, I apologize teacher." Removing her hand from her hip and placing the gun back on my desk, I awaited her next words.
"Why are you really here Mr. Riker? You are far too experienced with your IS to be a novice, you have the attitude of a soldier, and no government or corporation has even heard of you until now." I hesitated and thought harder than I had in a while, really trying to find a way to salvage my cover. Finally coming up with a reply, I answered "I came here to learn about the IS, just like everybody else, teacher. I don't see my skill level as an excuse to stop learning." She raised an eyebrow at my answer. "And how exactly did you get so good at using your IS?" "I practiced just like anyone else ma'am." I quickly responded. We were caught in yet another staring contest for a brief moment until she spoke again "I don't buy it Riker. But, regardless of my suspicions, you did go out of your way to save Alcott after you nearly blew her out of the skies for good. That is the ONLY reason I am allowing you to stay." "Yes teacher." I acknowledged. "Your room is ready by the way. I'll take you to it. I'm sorry for having to search your things, but I'll need to keep your weapon. Pack up and let's go." she ordered. With haste I collected my belongings and followed Chifuyu to my room.
Cecilia's Room - Cecilia's POV
After such a long day, I contemplated today's events while enjoying a nice long shower to relieve the sourness of defeat. If only it were that simple, something about that match has brought turmoil to my thoughts. "Why am I feeling like this...even though I lost?" Something about my defeat brought me feelings of comfort and admiration, but why I feel this way is driving me crazy. I was annoyed that I could feel this way after such a loss. Suddenly a random thought flashed in my head, taking me back to the match. The deeds of my hero replayed themselves in my mind, him and his black IS saving me from certain doom. I felt ten times lighter when I finally realized why I felt so conflicted. "James Riker..."