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 Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 12:51 pm
So far, Gale had only met one of the new trainees.
He'd heard of them, of course - heard about the wave of new recruits that the infamous Doctor H had brought in and "educated" (or had at least pointed them towards the Cove and let them at it). But so far he'd only seen one, and it was someone older than he was.
Secretly Gale was hoping for a trainee around his own age, though he wasn't holding his breath. Most of the Hunters on the island were at least eighteen or nineteen, the majority of them in their twenties, which left fifteen-maybe-sixteen year old Gale disgruntled.
Even though he'd never admit it.
At the moment he was sitting out on the grounds, his rifle across his lap, attempting to cajole Jinhai into telling him a bit more about his past.
It wasn't working - especially since the rifle really had no real recollection of his past, except for a few vague notions.
<< I told you - all I'm getting is smoke. It's like trying to remember a dream. >>
Gale rolled his eyes, but left it at that, pushing himself to his feet. It was nearing lunchtime - now would be a good time to and get himself some food before training again, which had started to become a daily occurrence.
As he rounded the corner towards the cafeteria, Gale was looking, not up, but down, and wound up bumping headfirst into someone walking the opposite direction. He stumbled backwards a few steps, rubbing his nose, and glanced up.
"Oh," he said, eyes flickering towards an unfamiliar face. "Er. Sorry. Who're you?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 1:45 pm
Eva, perhaps you should have asked someone else to accompany you. Chara clearly was not very confident in her wielder's sense of direction. Considering that Eva was new there, though, the former-gorgon had a good reason to be concerned.
However, Eva didn't seem too worried. She raised a hand to give the purple-gem hairclip a little tap. "You worry too much, Chara. Besides, I've already done some exploring with the others. I know where the cafeteria is." In hindsight, though, perhaps it would have been a good idea to ask one of the others to accompany her. Reine, and maybe Otto too. Resting her hand on her cheek, the young woman hummed thoughtfully as she rounded the corner. "Well, I suppose I could run back and find them to see if they want to keep me company. Reine, at least--oh!"
She staggered backwards, eyes wide as she collided right into someone. Catching herself on the wall, she shook her head and blinked up at the boy who she had run into.
"Sorry, didn't see you there." She paused to process his question. "Oh! I'm Eva. Er, call me Evie. I'm new here."
Eva.
"Oh, right! And this is Chara." She touched the clip in her hair.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 1:59 pm
...well, she was the same height as he was, almost, but it didn't really mean anything, considering she didn't look as if she were fifteen-almost-sixteen. Inwardly Gale deflated a bit, but he gave her a small half smile anyway.
<< She's a pretty thing. >>
Shut up, you.
"Gale," he replied to her, and held out his hand. "My name is Gale. And this - " he added, holding up the hand with his ring, the silver band glowing slightly. " - is Jinhai. He's pretty, er...well, never mind him."
Sticking his hands back into his pockets, Gale rocked back on his heels and peered at this newcomer. She seemed confident enough, which wasn't really surprising - most of the people who chose to become Hunters were, though there were a few exceptions (cough Before cough). Either way, he wondered whether she would be like the rest of the female Hunters on the island (Ennea excepted) who would think of him as a kid.
"So, er..." said Gale, a bit awkwardly. "Where are you headed?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 2:31 pm
"Gale," Eva echoed, reaching out to shake his offered hand, "Nice to meet you! I'm assuming that you've, er, been awake for a while now?" She couldn't recall seeing him within the group of new-awakened trainees the other day, so it seemed like a logical conclusion to come to.
She leaned forward to look at the ring--Jinhai--and grinned. "That's quite pretty. What kind of weapon is he, if I may ask?"
Eva, now isn't the time for small talk. You still have some basic training to do.
The young woman sighed, frowning as she stared up at the clip. Come on, Chara. It doesn't hurt to get to know the people who I may have to work with in the future. Besides, I was going to take a break anyways to eat.
Turning her attention back to Gale, she smiled again. "I was, er, looking for the cafeteria. Thought I'd grab something to eat. What about you?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 3:00 pm
"Yeah, a few months now," said Gale, absently twisting the ring on his finger. "It's been the same group of us for a while, so it'll be interesting to see some new blood around here. How many of you are there, anyway?" he asked, glancing at the dark haired hunter. "So far I've only met one other, and he's a he."
<< Oh, look, she called me pretty. That's quite nice of her. >>
You're shameless.
<< Or you're just jealous because she didn't call YOU pretty. >>
Like I'd really want someone to call me pretty? Good grief.
"A rifle," said Gale and the ring glowed brightly for a moment, then dissipated into nothingness, the weapon appearing between his hands. He held it up, shrugged, and then sent Jinhai back to his unsummoned form.
"What's yours?" he asked her, then answered "Er, nowhere, really. Just sort of walking around."
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 4:44 pm
How many? "Good question. Maybe..." She scrunched up her nose as she thought, "Nine? Ten? Around that range." Probably a few more than that, actually--there had been quite a few people in that room, now that she thought about it.
Her eyes widened slightly as Gale summoned Jinhai. "A rifle! That's pretty cool!" She admired the weapon while he held it, and when he inquired about Chara, Eva's expression immediately lit up. Holding out one of her hands, she summoned the slender, bladed staff. Closing her fingers around it, she gave it a little twirl.
I am not a baton.
Eva didn't respond, but she stop twirling the weapon. "This is Chara. I'm still trying to get use to wielding her though." A pause. "I'm also trying to get used to her nagging. Having someone in my head all the time is still pretty strange."
She released her grip on Chara, who disappeared and reformed on Eva's head as the purple-jewel clip.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 5:18 pm
Nine or ten? thought Gale, wondering whether any of them were closer in age to him than the ones already here. It was an idle hope, but perhaps he'd get lucky.
Jinhai made a noise of contentment, clearly pleased with Eva's evaluation. << Yes. Yes I am 'pretty cool.' >>
"Careful," said Gale, rolling his eyes. "You'll make his ego grow bigger than it already is."
<< Why must you be so rude? >> sighed the rifle.
My dear, Ginny, I have no idea what you're talking about.
<< Of course not. >>
Eva's weapon was a long staff, a slender blade at the tip. It clearly fit her, and the way she moved it around in her hands was easy; she obviously thought highly of it.
"It's...it's interesting," admitted Gale, with a glance down at his ring. "It's not something that takes a short time getting used to, but once it's there, it's...hard to imagine it without."
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 5:42 pm
Eva laughed at that, eying the ring-form Jinhai with a risen brow. "Really? Though I guess the occasional compliment doesn't hurt, so long as he doesn't let it all go to his head." It was honestly a little strange talking about someone as if they weren't there. She might have found it even more unusual if she actually addressed the weapon directly, though--it bothered her she couldn't hear their response or see their facial expression.
She supposed that that was just another thing she had to get used to, though.
"It'll definitely take me a while to get used to it, yeah. To be honest though, it's...kind of cool?" She could see both the pros and cons of having Chara with her all the time. "Chara really isn't too bad, though. It's better than having an overly energetic and obnoxious weapon talking in my head, I suppose."
Thanks. Chara's voice was dry, but there seemed to be a hint of amusement. Maybe--it was hard to tell.
That was a compliment!
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 5:58 pm
"He doesn't even really need the occasional comment," said Gale in mild exasperation, though there was a tone of genuine affection in his voice as well. The rifle, despite his constant disapproval, had been there for him in the most dire of situations - something that Gale could not deny, no matter how much he triedd.
"It's definitely surreal," said Gale. "But after a while, once you get used to it, it becomes essential. It's like balancing another part of yourself, as strange as that sounds."
Jinhai was oddly silent; Gale glanced down at the ring on his hand for a moment, his expression softening, but the he straightened, red dusting his cheeks.
"Er, at any rate," he said hastily, embarrassed by the sudden seriousness of his own voice. "Do you need any, er...help with anything? I mean, you're new here, so if you need anything, feel free to ask."
His face, if possible, grew redder, and Gale sighed, idly rubbing the back of his neck. "What I mean to say is - I know how it feels to be new, so...yeah."
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:10 pm
"I'll have to work on it," Eva nodded in agreement, "The balancing part, I mean. How long did it take you to, er, get used to all of this?"
She gave a general gesture towards their surroundings. To Eva, it was not only the new voice in her head that was surreal, but all of this, from the trial while they were in the pods to their awakening. She was still having a hard time taking everything in, but she took comfort in the fact that everyone she met seemed surprisingly friendly.
...Except Otto.
...And Dr. H scared her.
But besides them.
Gale's offer was unexpected, but upon seeing the redness on his face, Eva couldn't help but grin. Ordinarily, she would probably tease someone in this kind of situation, but the fact that he was being genuine touched her. "Thank you, Gale. I really appreciate it. I think I'm good at the moment, though!"
No you aren't. You're lost. Ask him for directions.
...Oh, right. "Actually, er. Could you point me to the cafeteria?"
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 6:46 pm
Gale idly twisted the ring on his finger. "A few days?" he said thoughtfully, his mind going back to the first time he had heard Jinhai in his head. "It was strange hearing voices when I was going to sleep, but once I was used to that, it was just...so natural."
His face was still a brilliant scarlet, Gale attempting to studiously ignore Jinhai's amused cackling, but once he turned back, Eva was smiling at him - and it looked like a genuine smile, not one of those patronizing oh what a cute little kid you are smiles - for which Gale was grateful.
His brows rose a little. "The cafeteria?" he repeated, hoping the redness would recede soon. But his expression relaxed into a relatively calm one, and he offered Eva a small smile.
"Of course," said Gale. "It's near the Infirmary."
Holding his arm out, he gestured for her to go straight, then curved his hand around, indicating a left turn. "It's not that far, really. You were in the right direction."
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 7:05 pm
A few days, huh? Hopefully she would manage to settle in quickly, then. You won't make it too hard for me, will you Chara?
I hope you're ready to train everyday.
Eva sighed, but she smiled again when she received the directions from Gale. "Ah ha, so I was on the right track!" It took all her will not to tell Chara "I told you I'd be fine", but since she thought it, she was sure that the weapon had heard her anyways. "Thanks for the help, Gale! I'll see you around soon?"
This was where they parted ways, she supposed, but she was certain that she would end up running into the younger hunter again eventually.
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Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 7:27 pm
"It's not a problem," said Gale, and smiled at Eva, lifting his hand to wave goodbye. He dropped it once she disappeared from view and then stuck both hands in his pockets again.
She's pretty cool. She didn't call me kid.
<< An automatic plus in your book, at least. >>
Anyone who doesn't treat me like a four year old is automatically a plus, yes, replied Gale dryly, and turned around, making his way back to his dorm.
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