Chapter 97 (Patreon)

Sonya and the others stepped out of the portal and into her office. She reached up and brushed her hair out of her face, as she deactivated her armor. Ironsides’ power is convenient. She thought with a small smile. That smile faltered when her senses picked up on someone standing in the room. She turned her head towards the door with a frown and saw her standing there. Her lips turned down in a frown and she tilted her head forward, “Black Lotus,” She said evenly, “What are you doing in my office?”

“You left,” The hero said.

“I had a meeting to attend to, it’s not your concern,” Sonya said, tilting her head up to look down a bit on the taller woman. “Just go to bed or whatever and leave me be. You hound me enough as it is,” She said dismissively and turned away, waving her hand.

“I’ve been making up for it for a year, doing what you asked,” Black Lotus said, “Please, just talk to me,” She asked, her voice cracking a little.

Sonya closed her eyes tight and clenched her fists as Marta, Colin, and Cass came through the portal. Cass froze and frowned, a warhammer appearing in her hand. Marta held up her arm and blocked the girl from attacking as she glared daggers in Black Lotus’ direction. Sonya tilted her head up again and prayed to whatever would listen for patience before she turned around and plastered a forced pleasantness onto her face, “That’s the problem,” She said with poisoned sweetness, “That, what you just said, is precisely the problem and you know it.”

“Sonya-”

“Get out. Don’t make me say it again,” Sonya said and turned away, “I’m tired. I haven’t slept in two days because of you, I took it out on Carla, again.”

Black Lotus stiffened and frowned, her eyes downcast. She stood up straighter and bowed, “Miss Chernovna, have a good night.”

“Thank you, hero,” Sonya said, looking down at her nails as the door opened and shut quietly behind her. Her fingers curled and she carved rivets into the table's surface, “Damn it. Not only do I have to deal with her being here but he decided that this was the best place to start his ‘rise to power’.” She spat bitterly, “That buffoon, I never realized how stupid he was until I met him like this. What the hell kind of power does he have that he was-” She stopped as Marta put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. She turned and threw herself into Marta’s chest and her dearest friend pulled her into an embrace, “I’m so angry all the time now, more than before, I can’t take it, it hurts,” Sonya croaked.

“We understand,” Marta whispered, resting her chin on Sonya’s head. “It’s okay to be angry. Are you ready for sleep tonight?”

Sonya nodded mutely into her embrace, “Mm.”

“I’ll ensure Cassiopeia gets back to the dorms without a disturbance,” Marta said, “Colin has the office. Go rest. Carla will take care of you.”

“Mm.”

–

Sonya walked down the hall alone, blessedly alone, finally some quiet. She drifted past the hall leading towards the girls' dorms and towards the small set of apartments attached to the rear of the building for the instructors and VIPs. Some of them were shared among the instructors while a couple had been set aside for exclusive use. She tried to let her mind empty a little as she wandered, reaching up to run shaking fingers through her hair. Even with all my power my hands are tied, the whole point was to avoid using it at all, only to- she paused and stood up straight. Her senses felt him as he stepped out of the turn leading to the restrooms behind her. She turned slowly and looked at him, glowing pink eyes met luminous sapphire blue.

Otis.

“Miss Chernovna, you’re up late!” He said brightly.

I’ll kill you.

She smiled, “A bit of late night business!” She said merrily. “You’re up late too!”

Break you.

“I’m glad we got to talk today,” He said, scratching his head, “That stuff about scouts gave me a lot to think about!”

Ruin you.

“Oh?” Sonya said, “Why don’t we talk about it over breakfast tomorrow? I really should be getting to bed.”

Your dreams!

“That sounds great!” He said, rubbing his shoulder, “Definitely could use some rest myself, being Mythic doesn’t exclude me from soreness!”

Your beliefs!

“Handmaiden has told me much of the same!” She laughed, “We’re all human!”

I’ll take everything, I swear it!

His lip twitched and he tilted his head, closing his eyes with a youthful smile, “We sure are!” He said, “Good night, Miss Chernovna!”

OTIS!

“Good night, Mister Mallory,” She said sweetly and they parted ways. She walked down the hall, holding it all in. Every step was a nightmare until she reached that door, she opened it slowly and shut it, closing it tightly behind her and pressing her back against it. Her breath came in gasps, He’s right there! He’s right there! She wanted to tear her hair out and scream but all she could do was let her hands fall to her sides. She tilted her head and looked towards the couch where she saw Carla sleeping, dozed off with a half-finished glass of wine on the coffee table. There was another empty one next to it.

She smiled and felt the madness drift away for a little bit. You sweet thing, she thought and walked over, kneeling down to pick up the taller woman easily into a princess carry. “Let’s get you to bed, mm?” She purred into her ear. Carla mumbled and curled in a little as Sonya walked towards the bedroom door. She paid no attention to the slitted eyes that glanced at her from the side as she walked past her reflection in a framed painting on the wall. She simply prepared herself for another night of nightmares.

–

Lillian stirred and grumbled, scratching at her chin as she shifted a bit on the bed. She frowned and squinted at the ceiling. Her chest felt heavier than usual. She squinted and rubbed her eyes before sitting up and looking down. A small form was stretched across her chest and waist lengthwise. She blinked a few times before she realized what happened. Did we fall asleep talking? Oh crap. She glanced around and sat up, the small form rolling off of her and onto the mattress before curling up. She glanced up and saw the top of Snow’s head.

Short, almost shaved? Why is it black and white? She thought before remembering how diligent the girl was about keeping her hood up. She took in a sharp breath and glanced around, the other girls in the dorm were sound asleep. Careful… She thought and reached forward to grab Snow’s hood and slowly, very slowly, pulled it back over her head. When her friend didn’t stir she let out a sigh of relief and slid off the bed, getting to her feet. Gonna have to talk about making sure she gets to her own spot before bed, she thought and scratched her neck, Might give people the wrong idea.

She crossed her arms and sighed heavily before pulling Snow up towards her pillow and pulling the blanket over her. It’s early but I could really go for a coffee, she frowned and wrinkled her nose, And a shower.

She went to her duffle bag and grabbed her toiletries before stepping out of the door. She scratched her head and grumbled a little bit to herself as she made her way towards the bathrooms on this side of the building. She rounded the corner and paused, frowning a little and glancing around. That’s weird, what’s that? She thought, turning around in a circle. The air felt odd. She sniffed but she couldn’t pick up on anything. She looked down at her feet, Like the air was charged and then… I dunno. She shook her head.

“Wacky place,” She muttered and pushed her way into the bathrooms.

A little while after that, fully refreshed, she stepped out with a much brighter disposition. She needed to get her morning workout in. She reached into her toiletries bag as she stepped back into the hallway and fished out the catalog, flipping to the back where the map was. The Dojo could work but there had to be a- there! A gym! She clenched her fists, “Blessed weights and pull-up bars!” She said with delight and stepped fully out into the hallway, turning as someone stepped up behind her.

“Excited to get your workout in?” The merry-chirp of Sonya Chernovna rang out behind her.

She spun and saw the usually formally dressed woman in a t-shirt that said ‘Cola Up - Pinky Out’ in playful letters. From her right arm hung a small bag with a towel hanging out of it. She was in sweatpants, sandals, and her hair was down. She definitely had a serious case of bed-head. That said, she looked far more rested than Lillian had seen her since they first encountered one another. She was smiling wider too, refreshed. Lillian realized she’d been staring and flushed before scratching at her head, “Uhh yeah! I always try to get a good one in the morning but, yesterday was a little crazy.”

The CEO stood up straight and put her hands on her hips, tilting her head, “Black Lotus and I didn’t put you through enough?” She asked with a laugh, “You’re a beast aren’t you?”

Lillian shrugged and flexed her arm, grinning, “What can I say? I’m tough!”

The CEO chuckled and reached up to squeeze the arm, her bare fingers were strong and strangely cold, was that why she wore gloves all the time? “Careful with those, might get more attention than you can handle,” She teased with a wink, “Have a good morning dear!” She said impishly and walked past towards the restroom. “Someone else has the instructor's shower so I guess I’m roughing it!” She laughed.

Was she just- Lillian turned towards the woman and mouthed a few words before finally settling on something, “Th-thanks! I’m glad you’re feeling better!”

Miss Chernovna paused at the door and glanced back at her. Her expression softened to something far more genuine, “Thank you,” She said before disappearing into the room.

Wow, her skin really does glitter, Lillian thought stupidly before blinking, she bopped herself in the head. Stupid! Stop it! She chastised herself before turning away to head back to the dorms and grab a few things for her work out. Snow was still out cold but she was holding her phone and it clearly had an alarm set based on the symbol flashing at the top. She’d be fine. Lillian got changed and grabbed a few more things, she couldn’t get a signal but she had some playlists saved on her phone she could listen to since radio wasn’t an option.

She didn’t forget to grab her broadsword, of course. It was a huge topic of conversation the previous night when she got back. It turned out that the girls didn’t want to sleep until they heard more about the one-on-one training from her. When she came back with a freaking sword, the excitement grew even more palpable. Jessica definitely approved of the choice and one of the others had an ability that let them identify what it was made of. Post-Pandora metal. It had elements in it unique to monsters and dungeons. It was apparently seriously expensive hardware.

That of course led to the deluge of questions about whether or not ASTA had signed her, she had been as noncommittal as possible and one girl pointed out that she’d probably been asked to sign an NDA for the camp. That had been a nice save. Snow still gave her some squinty looks but it could have been worse.

She ambled through the building and to the stairs that she hadn’t noticed were wrapped around the back of the earth diorama. Down the stairs she found a hall filled with classrooms and of course the long gym with glass walls so one could see if anyone else was working out inside. She was not alone, it turned out. Several of the guys and girls from the aspirants were already getting their day started like her. She poked her head inside and spotted only one familiar face. “Morning Jessica!” She called as she walked in and found herself a spot next to the bars and some weights.

Jessica turned from a conversation with who looked like the guy who had been using his powers to pull things towards him the previous dinner. She waved, “Hi Lillian! Good morning! Getting started early?”

“Yep!” She said and glanced up at the bars, “Got some sets then sword drills to do.”

“Mind if I do drills with you?” She asked, walking over.

Lillian glanced at her, she was unarmed, “You don’t have your-” Jessica held out her hand and a blade of ice stretched from it becoming very solid and releasing a faint white mist. “Oh!”

Jessica grinned at her, “I’m always armed.”

Lillian returned her expression with an awkward smile, “That’s kinda scary when you say it like that.”

Jessica blinked, then laughed, “You’re right! Maybe I should save that kind of thing for villains.”

“Probably,” Lillian agreed and reached down to grab her sword, “Shall we?”

“I’ll follow you, I’m curious about what she taught you,” Jessica said, “Hope you don’t mind me stealing a bit?”

“Not at all!” Lillian said, tilting her chin up a bit, “We’re all training to be heroes, every little bit helps, right?”

Jessica let out a weary sigh and gave her an almost patient smile, “You are too good for your own good, thanks,” She turned to the guy she was talking to, “Hey Reek! Can we get some water?”

The guy on the other end of the room crossed his arms and frowned, the brown hair on his head falling down just past his eyebrows as he stared back flatly, “That is not my codename and I am not your porter,” He turned away with a huff, “Try again, princess.”

She scratched her nose, “Sorry Luke,” She said, “Please?”

He glanced her way from the corner of his eye and let out a long suffering sigh, “Fine!” He said and held out his hand, it looked like the air parted like curtains and a gallon jug of cold water landed in his palm. He set it down and then another appeared before he knelt, grabbed them, and carried them over. 

“Was that some kind of storage power?” Lillian asked, amazed. There are so many cool powers out there!

Luke tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, “Huh? No. Well, sorta,” He shook his head, “I can pull things that I’ve marked to me from any distance, pretty much, I’ve got a whole storeroom back at my house full of stuff instead of carrying it with me. My folks are going to keep it stocked while I’m here,” He said, “If the item’s close enough I can draw it to me physically and at high speed if I want. I’m partially here to figure out if I can do it the other way. Fire projectiles.”

“Aren’t you being a little detailed?” Jessica teased him.

He shrugged, “We’re all heroes here and I’ll be blunt, you two are the last people I’d suspect spilling their guts, Jess is on my team and no offense Lillian, but Jess is kinda right. You could stand to be a bit more selfish.”

Lillian flushed, “Just kinda hard reconciling being a little selfish with being a hero.”

“Aw! That’s why I like you!” Jessica said, clapping her arm, “Come on, let's do some drills, thanks Luke.”

“Sure sure,” Luke said and walked off, hands in his pockets as he ambled his way over to the treadmills.

They got right into it, Lillian showing Jessica the way that Black Lotus had taught her to stand, breathe, and swing. It took a little bit for Jessica to get the hang of it but soon the two of them were doing overhand cuts over and over, their eyes focused hard on the wall in front of them. Lillian didn’t let her mind wander as she did, after some sleep she finally had a bit more of a clear head, it was a good feeling. She let out low breath after low breath, the meditative breathing coming naturally as she brought it back from the previous night’s training. A warmth began to rise up in her chest as she swung and sweat dripped down her temple. The heat intensified, but it felt good as it spread out through her body and into her arms.

“-ian!”

She frowned and kept swinging, one at a time, up, down, up, down. 

“Lillian!”

She paused, Jessica’s voice? She sounded upset. She turned and blinked at the girl, “Yeah? What’s up?” She asked, confused.

Jessica stared at her frankly for a moment before pointing at her shoulder, “You uh… you got a little something on your…”

Lillian turned her head, confused, and looked down at her left arm. Flames. Fire was burning on her shoulder. Brilliant yellow-orange-gold flames. They were small but… Wait. “I’m on fire!” She gasped and reached up to pat it off before pausing again. Why doesn’t it hurt?