Faller tapped his foot in anticipation, as he waited patiently in his office, staring down the five students across from him.

It was all he could do not to jump over the desk and demand questions from them, but as he liked to make clear about himself, he was patient.

Even stranger was the fact that Ferris seemed onboard with this, considering her and Faller’s previous misgivings with each other. Any other day, she’d be half asleep or drunk, or swearing at Faller for keeping her there after hours, or any combination of the three.

Even she understood the gravitas of this.

Meanwhile, Team Valiant tried their best not to panic, or make wild accusations, or...well, provoke a response, really.

Julia’s anxiety was getting the better of her, as she looked back and forth at her team frequently, ready to take the fall for them, or cover up what they’d done. She still hadn’t told them what she’d found out, but she knew they didn’t deserve any kind of punishment.

Harley was in the same boat, as she’d been the one to suggest the break-in earlier that day, and subsequently dragged the others there. The wound in her leg was still hurting but she was ready to defend the team, no matter what she’d have to do.

Wess, admittedly, was working on a script in her head for how to justify what they’d been up to. At the very least, she could step in if the others were struggling and finish off any arguments Faller might bring up. She wasn’t about to watch the others go down without fighting back herself.

Sola couldn’t help but think about how the rest of the team was feeling, and whether she could even step in at all. She wasn’t much for debate, but hopefully, she could convince Faller that their hearts were in the right place when all was said and done. It’s the least she could do.

And Essex had already counted the number of exits, potential weapons in the room, and possible ways to take out Faller and Ferris, if necessary. Faller confronting them just as they escaped the hideout of the enigmatic Wicker was far too convenient, and with all the other evidence they managed to gather about it being potentially him, it was the best way to keep everyone safe.

Julia finally leaned forward, as she looked to the others before speaking. “...a-are...we going to be p-punished for this?”

Faller kept waiting, arms folded in his office chair, before looking up at her. “...depends.”

“Depends?” Wess repeated, as he sat up a little more.

“If what I was told was true.” Faller clarified, Ferris still firmly by his side. “Did you five break into the EHM building tonight?”

Julia started to panic, sweat building up on her forehead, as Wess leaned in front and shook her head to the others, insisting they don’t speak up.

“...alright.” Faller said, getting up out his chair. “I figured convincing would be needed, so I-”

Just then, a knock came from his door, as he made his way over. “That should be him.”

Faller quickly opened the door, as the team spun around and noticed Cecil coming into the room, fairly dressed up and visibly frustrated.

Team Valiant were all pretty concerned, but only Julia was feeling faint.

She was the only one who knew.

Who saw...

...w-what had gone down.

Who he truly was.

Who was standing right in front of them.

Faller led him over to the side of his desk, as Cecil straightened out his appearance, before facing the rest of the team properly.

“I got a call earlier tonight, right before you came back in that apparently stolen car.” Faller clarified, pointing back to Cecil. “For whatever reason, you broke into a private business, assaulted its employees, and stole equipment for...honestly, I can’t think of a good reason. I’m struggling to eve-”

Before Faller could spiral anymore, Cecil raised his hand to stop him, before resting it on his chest and breathing.

“...I want to hear your reasoning.” Cecil prefaced. “I’m not planning on pressing charges, as long as I know why you did what you did. You’re all reasonable adults, you wouldn’t act out of turn like this for nothing.”

Team Valiant looked at each other curiously, as Cecil leaned forward. “I just want to get this matter settled.”

Julia stayed silent in her seat, avoiding direct eye contact with Cecil, before Harley decided she should speak up.

“W-We had no choice.” Harley insisted, resettling herself. “W-We’d...just been kicked out of the tournament, and...I offered to go and get our weapons from the locker, b-but...”

“Someone stole them!” Sola yelled, sitting forward. “Rosalind! This crazy lady that’s got a grudge against us!”

Ferris’ expression loosened a little, before she mouthed the word ‘Rosalind’ in shock, right as Wess sat forward as well. “W-We believed she was working for...these...people. We’d seen her during the last attack on the academy, and Harley had noticed her driving off with our weapons.”

“So we wanted to go find them.” Harley added, backing Wess up. “And...well, we didn’t want to...shit, how do we say this...”

Faller waved his hand. “Yes?”

Harley took a moment, before speaking. “We-”

“We thought you worked with her.” Julia intervened, cutting Harley off, as all eyes were on her. “We...had a c-couple suspicions earlier in the year that you were her boss.”

Julia gave the others a trusting look and continued. “F-Fortunately...we’d placed tracking devices in our weapons handles, so we knew where they had ended up.”

She kept avoiding looking at Cecil as she spoke, instead choosing to focus on Faller. “A-And we followed them to the EHM building. We realised that must be where Rosalind was working out of, so...”

Julia touched her fingers together. “...we found a way in.”

Faller’s disappointment was palpable, as Julia sat forward again. “B-But we only went in to find our weapons! That’s it. We split up, came across them, and tried to escape before security caught us.”

“I received this from Rosalind.” Essex chimed in, showing her partially burnt arm and clothing, as Faller looked unimpressed. “This was before she attempted to run us over with a car.”

“Run you...?” Cecil let out, showing visible shock, as Faller rested on his desk.

“So you didn’t do anything else?”

“I mean...I knocked a couple guys out.” Harley mentioned, before nodding. “Not that hard or anything…”

Faller decided to settle into his chair, as he spun around, contemplating how best to act in this scenario.

After an uncomfortable amount of time, he made himself known again and rubbed his face, trying to work out some stress.

“...well.” Cecil said, drawing attention to himself. “If I may give a couple words.”

Before saying anything, Cecil bowed in front of the team, surprising everyone there, especially Julia, Faller and Ferris.

“I’m sorry that one of my employees put you out in this way.” Cecil insisted. “This is a grievous error on my companies' part. I’m also sorry you felt your only option was to break into the facility. Please, contact me in the future if something like this transpires again.”

Cecil rested his hand on his chest again. “You must’ve been under a lot of stress after the recent tournament. I’m sure Miss Baroke’s injury didn’t help matters much.”

Harley looked to the side, trying to forget about her actions in the tournament and the still present pain in her leg, as Cecil nodded back to the team as a whole.

“I’ll take full responsibility for everything that happened tonight.” Cecil assured, surprising everyone again. “Losing your weaponry would’ve only hindered your progress as Venators, and I’d hate to do the same back.”

The team let out a collective breath, finally feeling comfortable enough to smile again, only for Faller to raise his hand.

“While that may be Mr Cecil’s assessment of the situation, you’re still students of this academy.” Faller reiterated. “And your actions tonight were...shocking, to say the least.”

Faller straightened out his back. “While I won’t suspend your education as Venators, you’re hereby excluded from next year’s annual tournament...completely.”

The team’s faces sunk as they heard the news, only for Faller to continue. “On top of that, you can forget about your third-year internships, or any class excursions outside of the academy without the direct supervision of Miss Dulce.”

Ferris eyed up the team again, as Faller forced himself to lean forward. “I expect nothing of this calibre over the course of the rest of your education, understand?”

The team slowly nodded their heads in response, as Faller sat back in his seat. “And to think the attacks were my biggest problem...”

“Are we finished here, Faller?” Cecil asked, as Faller slowly nodded.

“Yes, I'd say we are.” Faller added, before indicating the team to the office door. “If you’ll excuse yourselves.”

Not wanting to cause any more trouble, the team got up and made their way over to the door, joined by Cecil, right as Faller raised his voice.

“Hold on.” He said, as they turned around. “If you could stay behind, Julia. I think we need to have a talk about leadership.”

Julia felt herself freeze stiff, as the rest of the team worriedly stared at her, before giving her reassuring looks and continuing to leave, while Julia made her way back over to Faller’s desk.

Julia shrunk herself in the seat, waiting for the verbal lecture she knew was coming, only for the door to close behind her, and for Faller to get out of his seat and lean over the desk.

“Tell me everything you saw.”

Julia slowly lifted her head, as she realised Faller’s full attention was on her, just as her anxiety came back in. “P-Pardon?”

“At EHM. What did you see?” Faller asked desperately, looking far less composed than he normally did.

Julia took a second to register the request, as she sat up in her seat more. “S-Sir, what is th-”

“Julia, we don’t have much time. I need to know.” Faller insisted, as Ferris sat on the desk. “Was it Wicker? Did you find them there? Did you find out what they were doing?”

Julia shook her head, ready to speak up if only to end the interaction quicker, only for the stress of the night to build up, letting her lash out at him. “N-No, wait a minute! I...I want some answers first!”

Faller was taken a back, as Julia stood out of her seat. “I’m not giving you anything until I know what’s going on!”

Faller blinked, before settling into his seat again. “Okay. Ask away.”

Julia felt a bit thrown off, before continuing. “Alright...f-first...are you Gamma?”

“What?” Ferris chimed in, as Julia pointed at Faller.

“Answer.” Julia demanded. “I...I just want to know if you’re him.”

Faller stared at Julia, before scoffing loudly.

“Of course I’m not Gamma.” Faller insisted. “I hated that guy.”

Julia did a double take. “Huh?”

Faller waved a hand freely, as he reached into his drawer. “Back when I was studying here, as brief as that was, Gamma was in my year. Then he got kicked out for...you know, and I eventually dropped out not too soon after. Biggest prick on campus.”

“D-Dropped out?” Julia asked.

“You studied here?” Ferris added, as Faller glared at her.

“Since when were we all asking questions?” Faller complained, before sighing and handing Julia an old photo of him back when he was a student. “It wasn’t suited for me. I’m far better with administration, not the combat part.”

Julia felt a bit of confidence dropping away. “...b-but you had a talk with Wess. You said some weird stuff about the industry, and seeing an end to this conflict no matter the cost.”

Faller waited for more, before talking. “Yeah. I’m the principal. Of course I was talking about the industry. And I stand by what I say. If that came off as suspicious to you, then I’m sorry.”

Faller pulled his chair back to get more comfortable. “And while the declaration was strong, I truly want to see the end of this conflict. It can’t keep going on forever, and I’m worried that it might if the industry doesn’t change soon. I plan to leave this position better off than when I found it.”

“It may be hard to believe, Julia, but we don’t like fighting.” Ferris added, locking eyes with her, as Julia quickly looked away.

“Does that clear everything up?” Faller asked, only for Julia to shake her head.

“T-That doesn’t explain how you guys know about Wicker, or your...weird relationship. Or why Ferris is even here.” Julia noted, pointing back at them. “I know it’s not to be a teacher! She sucks at it!”

Julia slammed her foot down. “What are you really up to?!”

Faller waited a moment for the dust to settle, before speaking up.

“...to make a long story short, I started to notice suspicious behaviour within the Wailing Conflict. Wailing attacks that didn’t make sense and a few too many coincidences in certain areas. While I was up for the position of principal...”

“...he hired me.” Ferris answered, folding her arms. “To protect him. And to look out for these things while he was working.”

“I needed this position to give me access to high-level information and contacts, but that only gave me so much free time to investigate what I needed.” Faller clarified, as Julia felt the need to sit back down. “So Ferris runs errands, with the cover of working here as a teacher, and reports back to me.”

“Mostly at night or when Faller feels like punishing me...” Ferris complained, just as Faller breathed out and kept to himself.

“Through a bit of research, the name ‘Wicker’ started floating around, and we realised that they might be someone who’s manipulating the Wailing Conflict on a large scale.” Faller explained. “Then we found a connection with Rosalind Castello…”

“And we’ve been spending a good few years trying to track them down.” Ferris concluded. “We concluded someone here must be connected, and due to your actions tonight...”

Julia realised what was being implied and kept to herself, shrinking into the seat again, as Faller got closer to grab her attention.

“It’s Cecil, isn’t it?”

Julia twitched in her seat.

“What did you see, Julia?”

Julia played with her hands to get out some anxiety, as her voice wobbled when she spoke. “...i-it wasn’t clear...and the situation was...a lot, so I could only make out so much.”

Julia sighed out, before sitting up proper. “I...saw a room. With three people in it. One of them said Wicker, and then they shook hands. I didn’t see who said it...but...he was in the room.”

“...so, Cecil’s either Wicker, or knows the guy.” Ferris deduced, just as Faller stroked his chin.

“You didn’t see anything else?”

Julia shook her head slowly.

“Was that it?”

Julia suddenly perked up. “Th-There was a workshop with blueprints. A bunch for containment stuff, and one for a device.”

Faller leaned in. “What kind?”

“I...couldn’t make it out. I tried to take a photo, but the security nearly caught me...sorry...” Julia confessed, just as Faller sat back.

“...well, that confirms it for me.” Ferris concluded, grabbing her sword by her waist. “Want me to bring Cecil back here?”

Julia started panicking, before Faller raised his hand. “Ferris, don’t jump the gun. This is hardly evidence.”

Faller lowered himself into his seat. “...thank you for your time and trust, Julia. You’ve gone above and beyond as a student here.”

“I-It wasn’t on purpose.” Julia admitted, as Faller chuckled a little, before sitting back up and facing her again.

“With that said...you need to stop.” Faller implored. “After tonight, Wicker knows that you’re after them, or at least know about them. If you dig any further, you and your team are in great danger, and I don’t know that we can protect you.”

Julia silently nodded back, as Faller closed the distance a little.

“Julia, I mean it. I understand why you did what you did, but your priority now should be on graduating and making sure your team’s okay. Events like this can shake people up.” Faller said. “And take care of yourself too. You’re no help to anyone if you can’t help yourself. We know what we’re doing here.”

Faller leaned back in his chair. “The security will keep an eye on you as well. We’ve heard Rosalind has a temper, so we’re not taking chances with your safety.”

Julia took in what Faller was saying, before feeling like she could get up from her seat and start to leave.

Right as she reached the door, she turned back around suddenly.

“W-We can trust you with this, right?” Julia asked, as Faller lifted his head.

Faller efficiently nodded back, just as Julia left proper, leaving Faller and Ferris alone together.

Ferris cleared her throat.

“So...” She started, sitting back on his desk. “...you really aren’t Wicker then?”

Faller stared at Ferris, before cleaning up his desk. “You’re here to help find Wicker. Why would I have you here if I was him?”

Ferris shrugged. “Draws potential suspicion away from you. Then you can lead it somewhere else.”

“That’s a dumb idea.” Faller reasoned. “Am I really that untrustworthy to you?”

Ferris took a beat, before pulling out one of Faller’s draws and grabbing the listening device stored in the back.

“I found this.” Ferris asked, as Faller took the metal bug back from her. “Care to give a good reason?”

Faller put it back on the desk. “...I was trying to reverse engineer it. Trace it back to its creator. And the reason I didn’t tell you is becau-"

“I’m untrustworthy?”

“I’m an engineer.” Faller said, putting it back into the drawer. “And knowing your paranoia, you would’ve smashed it the moment you saw me tinkering with it.”

Ferris admitted he was right in her head, as Faller got up from his desk, leaning over it.

“...it’s not about trust, sir, really.” Ferris noted, turning to him. “I just hate you.”

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

“...fair call.” Faller admitted. “It seems like we’ve got a good lead. Team Valiant seem to clean up pretty well.”

“One of them called me a bitch.” Ferris admitted, just as Faller gave her an unimpressed glare. “Just saying.”

“I hate to put them out like this, but we’re desperate...they just keep putting themselves in danger…” Faller let out, sighing as he stared out the window. “They’re just second-years...”

“...if you want my take...” Ferris said, before standing up proper. “They wouldn’t have gotten involved if they weren’t capable. They’re the reason we stopped suspecting Coatsworth, and they managed to hold off Rosalind Castello with only a few scratches. And now we’ve got a lead to Wicker.”

Faller turned back around. “You reckon they’re what this conflict needs?”

Ferris took a beat, before nodding. “Yeah.”

Julia closed the door to Faller’s office, before letting out an unexpectedly loud sigh.

“What have we gotten into...?”

“Ahem.”

Julia jumped back, as she realised Cecil was still hanging around outside the office, waiting for her to finish up.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle.” Cecil apologised, as Julia let herself recover. “I just wanted to clear the air a little.”

“C-Clear the air?” Julia let out, as Cecil resettled himself.

“In regards to what happened tonight.” Cecil said, straightening out. “I’d hate to think I’m some suspicious individual in anyone’s eyes, let alone a student. That just wouldn’t sit right with me.”

Julia made an effort to pay attention, as Cecil waved his hand. “For the record, the floors you entered were part of the original foundation. We rarely use them nowadays, save for the occasional meeting, but we can’t really get rid of it, so we keep it for storage and make sure no Wailing slip in through the tunnel underneath.”

Cecil pointed up. “And I don’t make it public knowledge because a tunnel stretching to the Central Forest would set off alarm bells in a lot of areas, especially with plans for the city barrier going into place.”

Cecil tapped his chin, as Julia waited there patiently. “...and for what it’s worth, I think you may be right.” Cecil reasoned. “About suspicious parties, that is.”

Cecil let out a breath. “...I’ve...had my suspicions about my business partner, Marcus.”

Julia raised an eyebrow, as Cecil waved his hand. “We’ve worked together for a while, but...truth be told, I don’t know much about him personally. On top of that, Rosalind was his hire, and I’ve always been cautious of just who she might be.”

“M-Marcus, you said?” Julia let out, as Cecil nodded back.

“Just...if you were curious. I’ve heard that Faller had asked students about gathering certain information, and I want to help where I can.” Cecil said, smiling back at Julia. “And if you have any questions for me, feel free to ask. I try to be an open book.”

Julia went to open her mouth, before she closed it again and nodded back to him.

“Anyway, sorry for holding you up. I’m sure you’re worried about your team.” Cecil said, pointing down the hallway. “They mentioned heading back to the dorms. Good luck with the rest of your studies.”

“...th-thank you.” Julia managed, waving him goodbye, just as she watched him disappear into the rest of the building, before making her way back to the dorm proper.

Even as she went to leave, she couldn’t help but look back at him as he walked away, still catching the faint hint of the silhouette hidden behind that door back at EHM.

...Wicker...

———

It took Julia a bit to get back to Team Valiant’s dorm, mostly to figure out how to explain what she’d seen at EHM in any way that made sense. She felt a bit of apprehension as she rested her hand on the door handle, only for it to open for her, as Harley’s inviting face greeted her.

“Hey. Faller didn’t grill you too hard, did he?” Harley asked, as Julia slowly shook her head, before coming into the room proper.

“Did he want to punish us more?” Sola asked tentatively, just as Julia found her way onto the couch, with the others sitting around her.

“...no, actually...” Julia mentioned, rubbing her face. “...he wanted to hear about what we’d seen. And about Wicker.”

“Really?” Wess let out, getting confident looks from the others.

“Did he suspect we were catching onto him?” Essex asked, just as Julia shook her head.

“No, I...I think we were wrong.” Julia pointed out. “After talking with him...Faller isn’t Wicker. I’m sure of it.”

“Huh.” Sola asked, scratching her head. “Is he Gamma at least?”

“No, that was another dead end.” Julia admitted, as Wess patted her back. “They were in the same year when he was studying here...”

“Well...shit.” Harley let out, scratching her head. “We’re back at square one, then. Wicker’s still an enigma.”

Julia jolted slightly in her seat, bundling up a little, as Wess immediately took notice.

“Julia? Is there something you’re not saying?” Wess asked, just as Essex rested a hand on her shoulder.

“Is this to do with the break in?” Essex followed up, before Julia slowly nodded her head.

“...I-I saw him...”

The team backed off.

“...r-right before we joined up again...” Julia admitted. “...Cecil was in a room with two other people, a-and one of them referred to the other as Wicker...”

“No way...” Sola let out, falling onto the couch, as Harley covered her mouth.

“Get the fuck out...” Harley let out. “Get the fuck out!”

“Wait, Julia.” Wess interrupted. “There were three people?”

Julia nodded, as Wess folded her arms. “...so there’s no guarantee it’s him.”

“But he knows Wicker! That means he’s met him at least!” Sola pointed out.

“Is Cecil a threat?” Essex asked insistently, just as Julia backed up into the couch.

“I-I-I don’t know...I...I think it’s him...” Julia said, shaking her head. “...but Faller also told me we should butt out of this. If we dig any deeper...we could end up getting into real trouble.”

“It’s a bit late for that.” Harley pointed out. “I think we crossed that line once we broke into EHM and stole Rosalind’s car.”

“Or when we fought her during the attack on the academy.” Sola noted, as Harley shrugged in agreement.

Wess noticed Julia sinking into the couch herself, before reaching out her hand again. “What do you think we should do now, Julia?”

Julia looked back at her gently, before fiddling with her hands for a second, just to sigh out.

“...I think Faller’s right.” Julia pointed out. “Wicker knows our faces. Whoever they are, we’ve been a thorn in their side for a while. I don’t want to push things any more than we have...and I don’t know if we can keep each other safe...”

Julia immediately lay down on top of Wess’ lap. “We just got our weapons back, and I just wanna finish the semester without anymore nonsense...”

Harley let out a breath, before leaning over the couch and rubbing Julia’s arm. “Easily done. I’m with ya.”

“We’ve had enough excitement for one year.” Sola admitted, sinking into the couch. “I’m pooped!”

“...if you say Faller can be trusted...then I will allow him to take this over for now.” Essex reasoned. “Our top priority should be our safety and our degrees.”

“And training, of course.” Wess offered up, patting Julia’s head. “We just got our weapons back, after all.”

Julia lay there comfortably, staring up at the ceiling, just as an idea popped into her head. “Actually, there’s one thing we should do before focusing on studying...”

———

After what had ended up being a fairly long and detailed explanation, Joleicia was left tapping her foot anxiously while huddled in her chair, staring back at the frankly fairly tense Julia, just as the other members of Team Vanguard each took the news in their own way.

“Wow...” Chops let out, scratching the back of her neck. “Like, holy shit, Julia.”

“I...know it’s a lot.” Julia admitted, staring at the floor. “But I figured you guys should know about what’s been going on. Just...in case we need your help at some point, or...if you guys might be in danger too...”

“U-Uhh...” Nathaniel let out, grabbing his head. “I-I don’t think I quite got all that...”

“Yes, I’m struggling to retain it all myself.” Saxin admitted, massaging her forehead. “So...is Cecil someone to be worried about?”

Julia went to speak, before shrugging. “I can’t say. He’s suspicious, but that may just be it.”

“I guess that explains what Faller was talking about.” Joleicia spoke up, drawing the room’s attention. “Back in first-year, he mentioned something about being vigilant and looking out for any suspicious behaviour during our study.”

Joleicia showed her hands. “I thought he was just giving good advice. You know, like ‘be wary of these things. Always be vigilant’ or something. Boy, I read that wrong...”

“Y-Yeah! That’s something.”

All eyes were on Lenin, as his voiced peaked a little as he spoke.

"Th-This is surprising for all of us. I’m shocked, really.” Lenin tried, shifting his eyes a little. “Wicker, what a name. Who names their kid that?”

Lenin started to sweat a bit, as Saxin started glaring at him.

“Lenin...”

“...alright.” Lenin said, avoiding looking at the others. “...Wess told me about Wicker earlier this year. But I promised to keep it to myself, just so you guys didn’t worry, or...you know, safety reasons.”

Lenin glanced back at Saxin. “Plus, I’d already admitted to bei-”

Lenin stopped himself and cleared his throat. “T-To other things...so I didn’t want to overwhelm anyone in particular with too much all at once.”

Saxin admittedly found herself smiling, as she reached over to pat his back. “...of course your reason was genuine. You sweet man.”

“That’s me.” Lenin admitted, leaning into Saxin, just as Chops started heading to the kitchen.

“Sorry to hear that all of this was going on behind the scenes, Julia.” Chops admitted, looking through the fridge. “I thought we had it tough with Florey leaving and all that, but at least we didn’t have some lady with anger issues hunting us down.”

Julia felt a pang of guilt as Florey’s name was mentioned, before the same realisation hit Joleicia.

“Wait. Florey’s working for EHM.” Joleicia admitted, as Julia nodded back to her. “That’s...”

“Oh my goodness.” Saxin let out, covering her mouth. “Is he working for Wicker?”

“W-What?” Julia let out, as Nathaniel got out of his seat.

“H-He wouldn’t do that on purpose. If he knew about Wicker, then he’d probably stop, r-right?” Nathaniel suggested, as the others looked unsure.

“But that implies either Cecil or Marcus is Wicker...which we don’t know.” Lenin noted. “So...”

“No...no, Florey...he wouldn’t...” Julia tried, getting out of her seat and walking around, as Team Vanguard watched. “...he’s working for EHM, not...Wicker. He didn’t know about the lower floors.”

“Or why the weapons were there.” Joleicia added, sighing to herself. “And he didn’t mention anything off colour at the formal.”

“Or when we had lunch a couple weeks ago...” Julia said, assuring herself and nodding. “Yeah. Yeah, he’s okay. He’s fine...”

Chops watched Julia trying to calm herself, as she poked her head up from the fridge. “You want us to check up on him?”

“O-Oh, no, you don’t need to put yourself out.” Julia insisted. “I just wanted everyone on the same page. You guys are really good friends, so if there’s anyone we could confide in...”

“Man, my biology classes with Cecil are gonna be real awkward now.” Joleicia remarked, before smiling at Julia. “But thanks. It’s great to know we trust each other.”

Joleicia recalled something, before snapping her fingers. “And sorry about your elimination from the tournament. We were really routing for you guys.”

Julia scratched her neck. “It couldn’t be helped. Harley was in danger...”

Chops snickered from the kitchen, before grabbing her food and heading back. “Uhuh. Did you hear who’s left to compete?”

Julia shook her head, as Chops sat back down. “You have no idea who they’re predicting to be the winner...”

———

“...nd after a climactic final match, Archer Parthos has come out on top as the winner of this year’s tournament! Everyone give a big hand to the guy!” Spence announced, as Team Valiant stared down at Julia’s tablet, watching the live video feed.

“There were plenty of highs and lows this year, but we hope you’ll tune in for our next tournament in 5021. Tha-” Vent added, before Julia turned her tablet off and pocketed it.

“Go figure. I guess getting eliminated kinda handed him the win.” Harley admitted, rubbing her neck. “What a douche.”

“He’s so a douche! You totally deserved that win!” Sola insisted. “It’s not your fault you got stabbed!”

“It’s my fault for competing.” Harley reasoned, waving her hand. “Whatever. He can take the stupid win. I get the best team ever.”

“Obviously.” Wess added, before turning to Essex, standing beside the road with them. “Any sign of them?”

“Not as of yet.” Essex said, only to spot someone running down the entrance to the academy dragging bags behind them.

“Hey! You guys showed up!”

The team turned to Taylor, as they kept running excitedly, before jumping into a hug with Sola.

“You didn’t have to send me off!” Taylor insisted, as Sola shook her head vehemently.

“I don’t know when we’ll see each other again, so we really do.” Sola pointed out.

“It was great to meet you, Taylor.” Julia added, sticking out her hand, before Taylor pulled her into a hug instead. “O-Okay, that works too.”

“Hey, you guys come to the Western Wayside. When you make it big.” Taylor offered, batting Julia’s arm. “We’ll pull out another Waygone Wailing just for you.”

“Would you?” Harley joked, getting a chuckle from Taylor, just as a van pulled up to the academy entrance.

“Taylor! You ready to go?”

“Just a sec!” Taylor called back, before saluting to the team. “That’s my team. We’ve gotta long trip back to Aceoro, so I’m gonna call it here.”

Taylor saluted casually, before grabbing their bags and heading off, only for Harley to grab their attention and pull them to the side.

“Hey, uhh, before you go...thanks.” Harley said, rubbing her arm. “For that wakeup call. It helped put some things into perspective.”

“You kinda needed it.” Taylor remarked, as Harley glared at them.

“Well...yeah...”

“If you want to make it up to me...” Taylor said, before subtly nodding to Sola. “Do everything you can for her. The Venator industry’s harsh, and she’s a bright light, you know?”

Harley smiled. “I know.”

Taylor grinned, before heading into the van as it drove off down the road, leaving Team Valiant on their own again.

“Man, they were way cooler than Archer.” Julia noted.

“And politer.” Wess added.

“You can’t help but respect them.” Donovan chimed in, before everyone quickly realised they were standing right beside the team.

Donovan turned back to them, before folding their arms. “Sorry. I wanted to see them off, but I wasn’t about to face them again.”

“Were you two not friends?” Essex asked, as Donovan shied away.

“They kicked my ass during our sparring match.” Donovan admitted. “They don’t deserve a goodbye.”

Donovan quickly turned around, before heading back into the academy. “Anyway, Harley, Wess, sorry about your eliminations. There’s no dignity in that kind of defeat.”

“Don’t I know it...” Wess let out, as Donovan waved and left. “I know they’re right, but having it pointed out is still rough.”

“We can make up for it.” Julia said, facing the team fully. “We’ve still got a third of the semester left, after all. Let’s hit our nose to the grindstone and...grind up on...studying.”

Julia gave it a second, before scratching her head. “That sounded better in my head.”

“The intention made sense.” Essex said, as the team laughed to themselves pleasantly.

———

“...oh...”

“...oh, sorry, I didn’t...”

“No, no, it’s fine. You were reaching for it.”

“...right. Grela.”

“Totally. No problem.”

Harley let out a nervous laugh, as she handed off the textbook to Essex, before they sat back down at the table with rest of the team, taking up the middle of the study area.

“Have you guys decided on your subjects for next year?” Sola asked, drumming her hands on the table, as Harley gave a thumbs up.

“Doubling down on history and weapon maintenance.” Harley announced. “I’m leaving third year with a bang!”

“Art and culture, plus some PR classes for flavour.” Wess added, as Julia perked up from her textbook.

“Oh! Uhh, group dynamics and leadership classes. And one on pop culture with Wess.” Julia said, smiling back at Wess. “Plus the new Whil class ‘A Principally Practical Guide to Whil Practices: Application, Principles and How they Apply to You.’ I can’t believe I said that all in one go…”

“Oh yeah. I forgot we were sharing that. Probably cause the name’s so bad.” Sola noted, as Essex perked up.

“Should I...share a class with Harley?” She asked, before turning to Harley, just as her nervousness came back.

“If...you want?” Harley prefaced, right as Sola pulled her chair up to them both. “I don’t know if you’d like any of my classes, though.”

“What about melee combat? Or the weapon maintenance one?” Sola suggested, as Harley looked back at Essex.

“You wanna...?”

“Yes.” Essex replied, smiling slightly, before bowing. “I would like that.”

“Okay then.” Harley remarked, laughing awkwardly again, right as Wess leaned over to Julia.

“How are things between those two?” Wess whispered. “After...you know...”

“Well, Harley told me they said a few things during the break in, then had a small talk once we had some free time.” Julia clarified. “Apparently, Harley’s warmed up to the idea of her, Sola and Essex as an item. But...”

Julia waved her hand. “It’s still a bit shaky. This is Essex’s first relationship, and Harley still feels kinda bad about how she treated her.”

“I see.” Wess noted, before turning back to her textbook. “I’m sure they’ll grow into it. Once we’ve hit the semester break, the free time should smooth things over.”

“Yeah, hopefully...” Julia muttered, turning back to her work as well, just as Wess lifted her head again.

“...hey.”

“Yeah?”

“How’re you holding up?

“...what do you mean?”

“Well, it’s been a few weeks since the break in. And since Faller’s little talk.” Wess pointed out. “You haven’t really spoken much about it since it happened.”

Julia kept a bit quiet, before sighing to herself, just as she turned back to Wess.

She went to speak, before catching the exit to the study area in her peripheral and indicating to it.

Wess understood what she meant and turned to the others.

“We’re just going to step out for a bit.” Wess called out, as Sola waved them off.

“Alright! See you later!” Sola let out, before grabbing Harley and Essex’s hands. “Now, about laser tag...”

Julia led Wess out into the hallway, before finding a small spot away from the other students to talk. She sat against the window interior, as Wess leaned on the wall next to her.

“It sure is a lovely day.” Wess insisted, as Julia nodded slightly.

“...sorry.” Julia started. “I know I shouldn’t bottle these things up, but...it’s kinda hard when I have to make the big decisions...”

“There’s nothing wrong with being a burden to the people that care about you.” Wess declared, squeezing her hand. “If they’re worth it, they’ll help you through. You know who taught me that?”

“...me?” Julia asked, as Wess nodded back to her.

“Go on. I can take it.” Wess promised, just as Julia made herself a bit more comfortable.

“...ever since the break in, I just keep thinking about what I saw.” Julia confessed. “When we all went off on our own.”

Julia started playing with her hands. “...I can’t shake the feeling that it’s him.” Julia admitted. “I know I saw him there. It was clear as day. Cecil was in that room…and I feel like he’s Wicker.”

Wess glanced back at her, as Julia shook her head, before noticing Wess’ face and just making out her expression.

“You know I’m telling the truth, right?”

Wess let out a sigh. “...do you know for certain?”

Julia felt confused. “Well...no, I guess not. But what else could it be, Wess?”

“...I’m just saying we should extend some healthy scepticism.” Wess reasoned, running her hand over Julia’s. “We were in a very stressful, high-pressure situation.”

“Wess, I know what I sa-”

“I know, and I believe you.” Wess insisted. “But this is one eyewitness account of a situation you could only half see. On top of that, there’s always a plausible deniability since Cecil owns the company. As much as I want to back you up and fully agree with you, we’re not in a position to do so.”

Wess stared down at their hands linked. “And remember, circumstantial evidence hasn’t served us well in the past. Coatsworth and Faller were both dead ends.”

“...yeah.” Julia admitted, staring downward.

Wess took herself off the wall and sat beside Julia. “You said it yourself. We should let Faller handle this. He’s in a far better position to do so, and at comparatively less risk with Ferris by his side.”

“...we don’t even know what Wicker wants.” Julia reasoned, drawing Wess’ attention. “How’re we meant to go back to studying when this...lunatic’s going around doing Whilit-knows what to the Venator industry?”

Julia sat up more. “Essex saw cages, Wailing-sized cages at EHM. What the heck are those even for? And why do they need someone like Rosalind? Who hires an assassin to spy on a Venator team? And then Cecil mentions some guy named Marcus an-”

“Julia, hey.” Wess said, grabbing her arms. “It’s out of our hands. Please don’t stress yourself.”

Wess pulled Julia into a hug, as Julia hugged her back and nodded slowly.

“With that said, I swear that if anyone of them try to threaten us, I’ll personally see to them never making that mistake again.” Wess declared.

“...right.” Julia replied, breaking the hug and smiling back at Wess. “No one messes with Team Valiant and gets away with it.”

Wess grinned and hopped back up, before Julia snickered a little.

“Someone’s gotta defend that butt, after all.”

Wess turned back around, before blushing back at her. “J-Julia, don’t say things like that.”

“But it’s true.” Julia insisted, hopping up as well, as Wess turned to avoid showing her crimson face. “I’d say it’s worth it.”

“...you say the strangest things when we’re alone.” Wess pointed out, bumping Julia’s side playfully as they walked back down the hall.

———

“Oooooooohhh boy! I. Am. Ready. To collapse!” Harley exclaimed, bursting through the dorm, followed by a very excitable Sola.

“Hoooooooow ready are you?” Sola asked, right as Harley landed on the couch.

“This ready.” Harley replied, holding out her arms widely, just as Sola used the opportunity to land on top of her.

“You’re getting way better at your pivoting.” Sola insisted, lying against her.

“I think that tournament injury reminded me of how valuable my legs are.” Harley said, looking down at them. “Hopefully we don’t get too many more bumps and bruises in the industry.”

“I’d worry more about my hands.” Sola pointed out, holding them out. “I can’t shoot lightning without ‘em.”

“Good call. You’re our trump card, after all.” Harley admitted, as Sola pouted at her.

“Hey! I do way more than that!”

“I know.” Harley snickered, rubbing her back. “Take it from the team wall.”

Sola kept pouting, before resting her head on Harley’s chest, just as her eyes drifted to Essex’s room.

“You thinking about her?” Harley asked, as Sola nodded quietly.

“I’ll be honest...it’s super weird having two girlfriends.” Sola said, laughing a little. “High school me would’ve had a heart attack.”

“Don’t I know it.” Harley said. “I’m still getting used to the whole thing. Like, we’re kinda Essex’s first real relationship.”

“Really?” Sola said, sitting up a bit. “Huh. I guess I never put two and two together on that.”

Harley smiled, before pulling Sola into an impromptu hug. “Let’s do our best to make it worth her while.”

“Can do!” Sola cheered, just as the dorm door opened up to Essex, dabbing at some sweat on her forehead.

She quickly noticed the duo on the couch, before stopping herself. “Oh. Cali.”

“Hi Essex.” Harley greeted, sitting up properly. “Done with your run?”

“Dal. I’ve been improving my time slowly over the last few weeks.” Essex said, taking off her dress shirt to reveal a singlet, before briefly pausing. “Also, do not come into the study.”

Essex held up a small gift bag from behind her back. “I’ve bought you Bestalow gifts and don’t wish for them to be spoiled.”

“Really?” Harley exclaimed, as Sola at up.

“Gifts?! From you?!” Sola let out, as Essex nodded and hurried into the study.

Harley blinked suddenly, before looking back at Sola. “That’s the first time I’ve seen her without her shirt on.”

Harley and Sola both looked at each other.

“She’s so damn hot.” Harley let out.

“She’s crazy jacked.” Sola said, grinning happily. “We’ve gotta see her abs.”

“Oh my god, yes! It’s probably like a cheese grater down there.” Harley confessed, making a grating motion. “If those biceps are anything to go off of...”

Harley and Sola both daydreamed for a second, before falling back onto the couch.

“Third year’s shaping up to be something...” Sola muttered.

———

“Bye guys!” Joleicia let out, waving to Saxin and Lenin, as they stepped onto the Flash-Rail heading to the Northern Wayside. “Have fun on your semester break!”

“Oh, we definitely plan to…” Saxin cooed, before tugging at Lenin’s collar.

“Lots of fun and fun and fun and…” Lenin added, rubbing his nose against Saxin’s playfully, before she pulled him further into the compartment. “See you when we get back!”

The doors closed, as the Flash-Rail shot off into the distance, leaving Chops and Joleicia in the station, along with Team Valiant.

“Those two are so damn horny.” Chops remarked, before cracking her knuckles. “Ugh, I’m jealous.”

“Well, how about we go out somewhere? I can be your wingwoman!” Joleicia cheered. “We’ll get you some good lovin’.”

“Jojo, you’re too good to me.” Chops said, just as they started heading out of the station, before Harley leaned over.

“You feel like rekindling things, Chops?” Harley joked, as Chops flipped her off.

“I’m not that desperate.” Chops remarked, before playfully punching her arm. “See you when I see you, Julia.”

“Later!” Julia called out, before putting her hands in her pockets. “I’m actually feeling homesick. I probably shouldn’t tell my dad about the break in, huh?”

“Definitely not.” Sola insisted, before grabbing Harley and Essex’s hands. “Come on! Let’s get our break started!”

Julia and Wess turned to them curiously, as Julia spoke up. “Aren’t you guys going back home?”

“Uhh, not really, no.” Harley admitted, letting Sola attempt to pull her along. “Since Essex was staying on campus anyway, we decided to stick around here for the break.”

“So that we may bond.” Essex said, giving a thumbs up as Sola tugged on her other hand. “And do ‘girlfriend stuff.’”

“Davidson and William alrea…Sola, you’re not gonna do it. I’m too beefy.” Harley said.

“I wanna get started right away!” Sola let out. “We’ve got our movie date, then laser tag, then candlelit dinners, then our walk in t…”

“Great! You guys’ll be in Detu City with me!” Julia exclaimed, letting Sola carry on. “This’ll be so much fun!”

“Umm…”

Julia finally noticed Wess beside her, somewhat shying away, as Harley noticed the apprehension in her face and decided to let Sola pull her and Essex away to give them some space.

“What’s up, Wess?” Julia asked, as Wess played with her hands.

“…w-well, I wanted to ask…something…” Wess prefaced, staring down at the floor. “…you see, I…I can’t go back to my home for…obvious reasons, so I wanted t-“

“Wess, of course you can stay with me.” Julia said, as Wess’ eyes lit up.

“R-Really? Because I can s-stay on campus if I’d be imposing.”

Julia grinned back at her. “You worrywart. It’s hardly imposing.”

Julia leaned in to kiss her, while Wess could feel her face reddening with every second.

“…y-yes, well…obviously, you would’ve said yes…it’s in your nature…”

“And cause I love you.” Julia smiled, as Wess laughed a little.

“Yes, that too.” Wess chuckled, as Julia hugged her side.

“It’ll be good having the whole team around.” Julia assured, before her gaze started to focus. “…also…I’ve been thinking a bit.”

Julia made a point to face Wess properly.

“…I…I don’t want to leave this Wicker stuff alone.”

Wess’ eyes widened, as Julia went to hold her hand.

“It doesn’t sit right for me to know something’s going on and that we’re choosing to ignore it.” Julia stated. “I don’t work like that. That’s not the kind of Venator I want to be.”

Julia gave Wess a proud, hopeful look. “Venators are heroes. We stop the bad guys.” Julia insisted. “Whether that’s the Wailing, or whoever’s working with them. We have a chance to do good, and I don’t want us to throw that away.”

“…Julia, we might be getting in over our head.” Wess said, rubbing Julia’s hand back. “We don’t know what this Wicker person’s capable of.”

“And they don’t know what we’re capable of.” Julia assured. “I’m not saying we go out hunting them down. But next time we get the chance to do the right thing, we do it, regardless of the circumstances.”

Wess needed a moment to take in everything Julia was promising, before locking eyes with her and smirking.

“With talk like that, we might just end the Wailing Conflict.”

Julia found herself giggling. “Yeah, if we get around to it.”

“We are pretty busy, after all.” Wess added, getting more laughter out of Julia. “Sola seems pretty insistent on that laser tag.”

“Yeah, sorry Wailing, we’ve got one more game, and then we’ll get back to you.” Julia riffed, as Wess struggled to hold back laughter. “If you could just take a ticket and wait in line.”

“One at a time, please! Have some dignity!” Wess joked, as the two stepped out of the station, happily joking amongst themselves while heading back to the dorm room, safe and sound in the comfort that they had each other’s back.

~~~~~~

On a completely unrelated note, Adam patiently kicked his legs on top of the main building of the academy, watching as Team Valiant headed inside to prepare for the semester break, all while humming something to himself and counting down on his fingers.

“Oh boy…”

Adam turned to the camera.

“This one’s gonna be a doozy.”