She yawned, stretching her arms above her head, shivering as the cold breeze hit them. Being outside in the middle of winter wasn't the best idea she'd had, especially not with her cold. Still, Sora was buried in her book, bundled up in blankets as she sat at the foot of the gnarled old tree.
Beckett had left her there a few hours earlier, promising to be back before night fell, but Sora wasn't too sure whether she could trust him to be. Plus, there was the fact her stomach was starting to grumble, but she pushed that thought to the side.
She had no idea where to go and get lunch.
She also doubted there'd be any cheery canteens anywhere near the graveyard she was in.
It didn't seem that likely.
Fortunately, Beckett seemed to have planned ahead.
"SORA!" Raelynn's voice shattered the silence, a shock of long blonde hair flaring behind her as she ran towards her, waving at her.
At least until she tripped.
"Pay attention to where you're going, imbecile," Silver muttered, passing her sprawled form, two lunchboxes tucked under one arm. "Honestly, you're hopeless."
"Am not!" Raelynn scowled, pushing herself to her feet, sprinting over to Sora, engulfing her in a hug. "How've ya been? Oz told us you were sick."
"Fabulous," Sora said, blinking as Silver held out a box of tissues.
"Wipe your nose. It's disgusting."
Sora took one. "OK..."
"Don't be mean to Sora!"
"Silence, peasant," Silver said, glaring at her annoying companion as she sat down on the blankets, pushing one of the lunchboxes towards her.
"The twins and the lovebirds are distracting Oz for us," Raelynn chirped, cracking open her own lunchbox. "But that Beckett guy said they'd probably only be able to keep him occupied for ten minutes."
"Our instructor didn't seem too happy," Silver said, pulling the lid off her lunch. "He left part way through training and returned in an awful mood... I'm guessing that has something to do with you?"
She shrugged. "I borrowed a few books from that library yesterday."
"Oh. That'd explain it."
"Huh?" Raelynn glanced between the two of them, confusion plastered across her face. "What are you two going on about?"
Silver's eyebrow twitched. "That library we were in yesterday was one restricted to Senior Riders."
"How come Sor got in then?"
Silver took a bite of her lunch, chewing determinedly, a dark look on her face. "It means, idiot, that Sora broke in – hence why Oz is going to punch her as soon as he gets his hands on her."
"What'd you do that for, Sor?" Raelynn looked at her.
"I was bored, and it was the only library I could find," she said, shrugging. "It'll be worth the punch."
Silver sniffed. "If you say so."
Raelynn folded her arms. "You're just jealous Sora is way cooler than you."
"Am not."
"Are too!"
"I'm not!"
"Are too!"
"I don't even know why I bother with you," Silver grumbled. "You're a hopeless imbecile."
"And you look down your nose at people!"
Silver tilted her head. "Problem?"
"Hell yeah!"
Sora sighed, quietly munching her food in the background, wondering when the drama in front of her was going to end. She wouldn't deny it was rather fun to watch, but unfortunately her viewing was interrupted as another two familiar faces appeared.
"Twin!"
"On it!" Eir called back, looping one arm under one of her armpits, her twin grabbing the other one, and then she was being carried off by the straw-haired duo.
She blinked, confusion written across her face.
At least until she spotted Ethan making his way towards them.
And he did not look happy.
Sora had three guesses why.
Ethan had found out about those missing books, either by himself, Oz or possibly Beckett... which meant her loving instructor couldn't be too far behind him. She could just picture him storming through the place just to give her a knock on the head.
He seemed to like those.
"Wait up guys!" Raelynn yelled, chasing after them, Silver hot on her heels.
Sora couldn't blame them.
Nobody should have to deal with a grumpy Ethan, well, aside from Cynthia – though she seemed to be very well versed in that.
They must've been on the same team, she mused, watching as the scenery flashed by. Grave after grave littered the area, the stone a polished marble which gleamed in the light, a massive cenotaph on one side, with the occasional bit of shrubbery dotted here and there.
The sheer expanse of the graveyard chilled her, even as they sucked behind a bundle of sunflowers shooting from the ground, all of them having somehow lost Ethan in the maze of a tombstones and statues. Wind rustled through the air, sending her into a sneezing fit, a box of tissues being waved in her face again by the same irate girl.
"Tissue. Now."
"OK..." Sora mumbled, not wanting to argue with the silverette. She couldn't deny she didn't look too great, even if she was bundled up in blankets and scarves.
"Looks like nobody's been around to take care of these," Raelynn said, brushing the sleeve of her shirt against the green surface of the marble headstone. "Poor Hugo," she mumbled, staring at the name carved into the stone.
"He's got sunflowers growing over his grave," Eisa said, flopping down to the ground on the unmarked plot next to Hugo's grave. "Someone's been here to take care of them, right, twin?"
"Probably," Eir murmured, yawning as she lay down next to her twin, the run having drained the last of her energy reserves.
Sora had almost forgotten they'd been training with Oz.
"Where do you think our other two teammates have got to?" Raelynn asked, looking around as though Callum and Beatrice might pop up out of nowhere. "You didn't ditch them, did you? Teams are supposed to stick together!"
Eir stared at Raelynn. "They just vanished like a couple of ninja. Even Oz was surprised... how do you think we slipped past him?"
"Don't even joke about ninja, twin," Eisa murmured, shivering violently. "You know those rumours about the Idonis Family still creep me out."
"They're all dead now, twin," Eir said, nudging her sister, a small smile on her face.
Silver raised an eyebrow.
Eir shrugged. "She had a bad experience in a certain hall of mirrors once."
"Do you really have to tell them about that?" Eisa groaned.
"You're still scared of your own reflection, twin."
"Twin!"
Raelynn patted her shoulder. "Everyone's afraid of something."
"Oh really?" Eisa tilted her head, eyeing up their cheerful blonde. "So what are you afraid of?"
"Oz, I hope," Ethan said, glaring down at them all. "Because he's been looking all over the city for his, I quote, 'cute little minions'."
"When did you get there?" Raelynn yelled, shuffling back in horror, eyes wide as she stared at the annoyed dragon rider.
"Just now," he said, grabbing Sora by the arm before she could roll away in her swarth of blankets and all things warm. "I believe Oz wants a word... and some books returned to the library."
She scowled, glancing back at her teammates as they just lay on the empty plot, having seemingly decided to leave her to her fate. Not that she'd have been able to escape it forever. Raelynn waved half-heartedly, smiling sheepishly as she turned back to Silver, evidently not wanting to get messed up in the punches about to go down.
"I've retrieved the other one from your bag already," Ethan said, plucking the book from her grasp before she could complain. "Now it's just the last one, and I'll be on my merry way," he continued, holding out his hand, having placed the book in his own bag.
Sora blinked. "There were two in my bag."
Ethan stared at her, eyebrows raised as they approached the gates of the graveyard grounds, and surprise, surprise, Oz was waiting for her there at the edge. "Just give me the damn book, brat."
"I don't have it!"
"What do you mean you don't have it?"
"Exactly that."
"Is she giving you trouble, Ethan?" Oz asked, eyeing the pair of them as they stepped through the gates and into punching range.
"One book is still missing."
Oz sighed, ripping away the blankets before she could blink, glaring at her empty hands. Sora shivered. "Well, seems my cute student doesn't have it on her," he said, handing her back the blankets. "Which one is it?"
"The one about the Sylvants."
Oz looked puzzled. "Well, we'll just have to hope it turn up, won't we, Truant?"
"Sure thing," she said, inching away from him ever so slightly.
The smile on his face didn't bode well for her.
"Well, I'll leave you to it," Ethan said, turning on his heel, waving a hand over his shoulder. He took a step, pausing in the next second as he looked back at her instructor. "Keep an eye out, Oz. It's getting to that time of year again."
Oz shrugged, wrapping an arm around Sora's shoulders before she could sidle away. "You aren't going anywhere, Truant," he said, briefly glancing at her. "I'll be fine, Ethan. They'll probably just give me one of the decoys, seeing as how I'm his favourite person to jump."
Ethan shrugged. "Just... stay safe."
"Will do."