A dark rose petal fluttered through the trees like an aimless butterfly, and while its movement was erratic, it moved in one direction.
Lara and Lannister sat by a small campfire, quietly hoveled under a rocky ledge.
Through the darkness, the dark petal found its way home, and landed on Lannister’s lap, as if it were making itself at comfortable.
Lannister gently grabbed it and gave the petal a rub. The petal gave up the last of its magic and slipped away, sending him a single message: a location.
“An Orren found someone. A little further east.” Lannister said, watching the petal turn to dust in his fingers. Lara didn’t look up from the fire.
“Seems like he didn’t get far.”
“Yeah. We’ll probably need to apologize and explain about what happened, back in Losla. Have you tried to contact him?”
“Yeah. I don’t think he’s been charging the crystal. Either that or he’s quite mad with us.” Lara said, shrugging.
“Hmm. I can’t say I blame him. We did kinda… ditch him.” Lannister said. Lara’s brows furrowed.
“I already told you, that fucker Matheson showed up. How was I supposed to know what he looked like? Then the mage hunters began their assault. I’m surprised we made it out.” Lara huffed.
“Relax. I’m not blaming you, no one is. We’ll bring Jay back this time.” Lannister said, patting Lara’s shoulder.
“Mm.” Lara mumbled, still glancing into the fire, and floated another chunk of wood into it, slowing rotating it as she held it in the flames. He stood with his back to the fire and looked east for a moment.
“He made it this far without us. As long as we bring him back, we’ll finish the mission.” Lannister said.
Lara frowned and raised a brow, wondering when she became the serious one. Lannister sat by her side, his elbow touching hers, and he watched the soft flames for a moment before saying something.
“How many missions have we done together?”
“I don’t know. Twenty?” Lara replied.
“Twenty-eight.” Lannister said.
Lara shifted her gaze to Lannister, noticing the thoughtful expression on his face. She followed his line of sight to the fire, watching the flames dance and crackle.
“Mm. What’s on your mind?” She asked, turning back to him. Lannister hesitated for a moment, as if searching for the right words.
“I was just thinking about all the things we’ve been through,” he said, his voice soft.
Lara nodded, her mind briefly flashing back to some of their past missions—the close calls, the moments of triumph, how Lannister was like a fussy mother keeping her in line, and everything in between.
“Yeah, we’ve certainly been through our fair share of challenges,” she said, a hint of pride in her voice.
“Mm.” Lannister softly murmured, his gaze never leaving the fire.
Lara glanced at Lannister and felt a strange pang in her chest, but she wasn't sure why. Was it the memories of their past missions, or the way Lannister’s face seemed so familiar?
“Is everything okay, Lannister?” she asked, sensing that there was something more he wanted to say.
Lannister's eyes flickered with emotion, and for a moment, Lara thought she saw something vulnerable in his expression. But then he seemed to steel himself, his features hardening, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly.
“Everything’s fine,” he said, forcing a smile. “Just thinking out loud, I suppose.”
Lara didn’t press the matter, sensing that Lannister wasn’t ready to talk about whatever was troubling him. Instead, she floated more twigs through the fire, trying to relax as she played with the flames.
They sat in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of the forest around them. Lara watched as the fire burned lower, the embers glowing softly in the darkness. She felt a sense of contentment wash over her, despite the frustration she still felt about the mission.
Finally, Lannister spoke up again. “Hey, do you remember that time we had to cross that rickety old bridge over the river?”
Lara grinned, a rush of nostalgia flooding her. “Yeah? You were shaking like a leaf the entire time.”
Lannister rolled his eyes, but there was a hint of amusement in his expression. “I was not. The bridge was just shaky.”
“Yep, then it collapsed. I recall saying you should just teleport us over?”
“Hm, I don’t recall that.” Lannister smiled, and Lara shook her head.
They continued reminiscing about past missions, and Lara felt her tension ease slightly. But she wondered if it was tension between herself and Lannister, or about the mission. Maybe it was just her imagination, but she thought she saw a glimpse of something more in Lannister’s eyes as they talked—something that made her heart skip a beat. But then he looked away again, and the moment was gone.
As they settled down for the night, Lara couldn’t help but wonder what was really going on in Lannister’s head. She was determined to find out, one way or another.
I’ll get to the bottom of this. Maybe he wants a new partner since I failed? Whatever. The mission comes first. Lara thought, her eyes closing for the night, and as she listened to the gentle burning sound of the fire, the gasses hissing out of the wood sounding like a breeze going through the treetops, she thought of herself like an old dog being given one last pat and one last treat before meeting her end—when Lannister would ask for a new partner. She didn’t want this to be her last mission.
***
~Several Years Prior, Third Academy, MR#34~
*Boom!*
The dueling arena shuddered as the crowd watched in fearful silence. A large null-stone block meant to be cover crushed down onto a student, the block sinking inches into the dirt with the flattened person underneath.
Lara narrowed her eyes and watched, levitating herself in the air with her gravity magic. But the block never moved.
The crowd of students watching gasped as they felt the ground shift—then erupted in cheers, the arena stands burst into a roar of victory.
An announcer’s voice called from communication crystals mounted around the stands. “Lara did it, she defeated Hawker! With that, we have our duelist selected for the solo war game trials. May she bring us victory this year!”
The crowd chanted, “Lara, Lara, Lara!”
Lara, still floating in the middle of the arena, looked around at those calling her name. They looked so unfamiliar to her. She had just come to this school a few months ago and now they called her name? Something about it was insulting; she never shared her name with them, so how dare they use it?
She didn’t frown or smile, and floated down to the arena exit, ignoring the calls of people who presumed to know her. She had training to do.
