“…kay, we’re just gonna do a little reflex test. It’ll sting for a bit, but we should be done with most of the prodding after it.”

“Understood.” Essex replied, readying herself properly.

Pather leaned down to her arm, before pushing several spots across its length a few times, as Essex winced with each press, trying to keep her arm still.

“…okay, good reaction.” Pather assessed, grabbing her clipboard. “Pain receptors are still all there…and that’s most of it. Essex, say hello to your new hand.”

Essex stared down at her arm, before lifting up the prosthetic hand Pather had so painstakingly installed over the better half of a few days. A metal connector had been fused to her arm, still stinging a fair bit from the surgery, with the full prosthetic, almost robotic hand attached onto it, barely moving as Essex tried to lift a finger.

Pather gave a small wave through the window out of the academy infirmary, as the others started to file in now that the tests were done, with Julia leading the charge.

“So it’s all finished?” Julia asked, as Pather nodded back. “That’s incredible. I didn’t know prosthetics had gotten this quick.”

“Kinda had to with how the Conflict’s going.” Pather pointed out, as Julia found herself blushing in embarrassment.

“O-Oh, yeah, that makes sense…” Julia muttered, as Harley and Sola quickly checked on Essex, with Sola still using her crouches for her broken leg.

“Did the surgery hurt?” Sola asked, grabbing Essex’s other hand, while Essex put on a brave face.

“…Dal.” Essex admitted, lowering her hand again. “But that was expected.”

“Kinda looks like when you use your Whil.” Harley pointed out, going to touch it, before stopping herself. “Oh, uhh, can I…?”

“It should be fine.” Essex said, as Harley went to lift it up, before stunning herself with the intricacy of the technology, as Percy hopped up on a nearby bed and Wess joined Julia’s side.

“Our sincerest gratitude, Pather.” Wess wished, as Julia turned back to Pather too.

“Yeah, thank you so much. I know this is a lot for anyone to have to do so suddenly.” Julia added, as Pather leaned back on the wall.

“…speaking as someone who represents the academy, it’s the least we can do after what happened during that Wailing attack.” Pather said. “A whole team battered and bruised after fighting off Wailing, but still holding strong and keeping yourselves together…then I learned Essex cauterised her own fucking wound while escaping a fire…you guys are baller.”

“Naturally.” Wess remarked, as Percy silently snickered off to the side.

“You’re just lucky the academy’s covering the cost too. These can get expensive.” Pather noted, studying Essex’s uncomfortable expression.

Pather gave Harley and Sola a couple more seconds, before stepping in and facing Essex.

“Okay, I’m gonna give you the spiel I usually give for prosthetics.” Pather prefaced, squatting down to stay eye level with Essex. “First of all, this isn’t a one-for-one replacement. The technology’s good, but it’s not magic. You’ll have to maintain it and make sure not to do anything dumb with it once you’re out of here.”

Essex simply nodded, as Pather started miming with her hand. “Now, since they’re so advanced, it’ll take a lot of time for your body to adjust to a replacement limb. You won’t get much or any movement at the start, but after a couple months, it should start to feel a bit easier to do. However, don’t wear it all the time. Ease your body into it.”

Pather raised a finger. “My recommendation is to start wearing it for one hour a day, only taking it off if it starts to hurt, and remembering to take it off before bed. Also…”

Pather raised Essex’s other hand for her. “You’re in a very lucky position with your Whil. Since you can change your body to metal you’re touching, it should mean your body gets used to it a lot quicker than most.”

“How much quicker?” Harley asked, as Pather took a second to stand back up.

“…most people with prosthetics say they only really start feeling comfortable with it after several years of use.” Pather clarified, stroking her chin. “It’s just an estimation, but I’d reckon only a few for Essex.”

“That’s great!” Julia let out, looking back at Essex. “Well there you go, that’s some good news.”

Essex nodded back to Julia, still not feeling comfortable enough to casually chat much, as Pather smiled and squatted back down.

“Couple other nitty gritty things. Like I said, it’s a machine, it needs maintenance. If you feel like doing it yourself, again, don’t be stupid, but see about a doctor, preferably one who specialises in Venators. Phantom pain is also a common issue.”

“Phantom pain?” Essex asked, as Pather slowly lifted up Essex’s prosthetic hand.

“It’s a recurring effect after losing a limb. It’s basically the brain having a little episode and causing pain in the limb that isn’t there anymore.” Pather explained. “It tends to vary a lot in length and severity, but if it does come up, I’ve got a good trick.”

Pather pushed a small button on the top of the hand, before lifting, twisting it, and lifting it again to take the hand off, while wrapping her hand around the connector. “Just hold your hand over the connector and repeat the phrase ‘it’s not there.’ Ground yourself and remind your brain of what’s real.”

“That…is my wheelhouse.” Essex admitted, as Harley and Sola laughed beside her.

“Good. That’s most of it…” Pather said, before throwing her head back and massaging her forehead. “…wait, one more point. Wash the space between the connector and stump regularly. Pus and bacteria can build up in there if you neglect it, or it can start to bleed randomly. You know, bad stuff.”

“Eww.” Sola let out, wincing, as Pather scanned around her.

“Now where’d I…?” Pather muttered, before looking to Percy. “That’s it. Sorry, do you mind getting up?”

Percy looked a bit confused, before realising she accidentally sat on Pather’s clipboard and standing up immediately.

[Sorry.] Percy signed, as Pather grabbed it, before holding it under her arm.

[Not a problem.] She signed back. [I didn’t get your name.]

[Percy.] Percy replied, as Pather snapped her fingers.

[Faller mentioned you. You’re staying with them.] Pather realised, before staring at Percy again.

Percy noticed and looked around curiously, as Pather tapped her foot. [Out of curiosity, are you deaf or mute?]

[…mute.] Percy replied, before Pather stepped forward and scanned her.

“Uhh, Pather…?” Julia wondered, right as she stood back up straight.

“…and where are you from originally?”

[The Western Wayside. Cima Dela.] Percy answered, before Pather wrote a couple things down.

After a couple more moments, with Percy almost leaning over to read the clipboard herself, Pather sighed out.

“…if you want…” Pather started, facing her again. “And this is totally up to you…there’s a quick procedure we can do that’ll replace your voice box with a synthetic one. Once you’ve gotten used to it, well…it’ll allow you to speak.”

Percy’s eyes widened as she took in the news, her jaw hanging open, before stepping back in shock, falling to the bed again.

“Wait, did you not know?” Harley asked, as Percy shook her head, before double taking.

[Did you?!]

“It’s pretty common, actually. They had the breakthrough a couple decades ago, right?” Wess clarified, as Pather nodded. “Apologies. I just assumed you knew about it and had chosen otherwise.”

“That’s why I asked where she’s from. The west hasn’t had access to a lot of this stuff yet.” Pather explained, before crouching to Percy like she had with Essex. “Again, this is your call. It’s a small procedure, virtually no risk, easy enough to do on the academy’s watch. Just figured I’d let you know about the option.”

Percy could feel her mouth drying up, as she quickly signed a thank you to Pather, before Sola pulled herself over and sat next to her.

“Sorry. We really thought you knew.” Sola insisted, rubbing her back, as Percy faced her again.

[Wicker never told me about it.] Percy admitted, before falling backwards onto the bed. [He couldn’t even stand the thought of me arguing back, could he?]

[What a douche.] Sola agreed, as Percy took a second, before finding herself smiling back at Sola, right as Pather made her way over to Wess.

“With Essex’s transplant concluded, we can move onto the business of Wess’ replacement eye.” Pather started, facing Wess, as she flashed a smile.

“Pather, you’re an angel.” Wess said, only for Pather to let out a weak scoff and avoid eye contact.

“Don’t thank me so soon…we got the results back for your scan.” Pather prefaced, as Wess folded her arms.

“…your tone sounds negative.”

“It usually does, but it’s more justified now.” Pather clarified, before taking a moment and stepping out of the way. “Actually, it’ll be better if I show it.”

Pather walked over to a small display on the wall, with a scan of Wess’ head pinned up, showing a side profile of the inside of her eye, as the others, save for Essex, came over to see as well.

“You remember the Wailing you were fighting, right?” Pather asked, as Wess nodded efficiently, now feverishly moving her eye between the scan and Pather. “Well, you might not have noticed during the bout, but the Wailing possessed a form of magic. It seemed that from its fangs and tail, it secreted an acidic concoction that’s intent is to weaken prey by forcing wounds to stay open.”

Pather took a heavy breath, before pointing to the scan. “It appears that when you went in to strike it, it was using its magic while it struck you back…and that some of that substance still remains in the retina.”

Pather showed a small blob of the purple, fluorescent substance the Wailing was producing clung to the back part of the retina, as Wess leaned in, studying the image.

“It’s currently blocking off access to the optic nerve and seems to have seeped into it too. We haven’t encountered this kind of Wailing or magic much at all, so the chance of removing it is…slim.”

“How slim?” Wess quickly asked, her attention completely on the scan.

“…removing it might cause irreparable damage that would make installing a replacement eye impossible.” Pather admitted, shoving her hands in her pockets. “Just to put some numbers to it, the chances of a successful removal would be around six percent.”

Wess felt her breath catch, as Julia rested her arms around Wess comfortingly, before turning to Pather. “Is there a way around the blockage?”

Pather shook her head. “Eyes are delicate, the replacement even more so. It needs to be in a near perfect spot to act like it should, or else it might roll the wrong way, or worsen Wess’ vision more. So many things can fuck up with this, it would be irresponsible for me to install it without removing that substance.”

With everyone giving Wess her space, she stood up straight again, not really focusing on anything right now, before stepping backward.

“…I need a minute.”

Right then, she stormed off out of the infirmary leaving without another word, as Julia followed directly after her, leaving the others and Pather in an awkward spot.

“…she handled that well.” Pather admitted, throwing her head back. “Most students just yell at me…”

“Poor Wess…” Sola let out, as Harley hugged her side, right as Essex hopped up from her bed, before joining them and giving the scans a closer look.

Percy stepped over to the window and caught Julia and Wess in a heated discussion, as Wess was visibly furious and upset, and Julia was doing everything she could to calm her down. As they spoke, Wess started to break down into tears, before Julia reached out and held her, letting her work through it.

…so much has happened in such a short amount of time. She realised, as the other three idly talked about the situation behind her. This must’ve really pushed it for her. Add onto it that nothing can be done…

“…he research isn’t even close. Most Venators who suffer the effects of Wailing magic die immediately from it, so we can’t learn anything.” Pather confessed, as Harley, Sola and Essex listened on. “Or it’s not helpful. Like, a Wailing shoots fire at you, there’s not much to learn from that.”

“Yeah, people aren’t fireproof. Thanks, science.” Harley remarked, readjusting her footing, before spotting Julia and Wess in the window, now accompanied by another person.

They eventually made their way back in, with Wess trying to make herself look like she hadn’t been crying, as Coatsworth followed behind them, though much slower with the addition of his new cane.

“Coatsworth!” Harley let out, running up to him. “You’re back from the hospital.”

“Yes. It was a good few weeks.” Coatsworth remarked, staring up at the ceiling quietly. “And a little nostalgic, in a strange way…I’m glad to be back though.”

“Looks like they did a good job on ya.” Pather commented, coming forward, before indicating to the cane. “And that you’ll be stuck with desk work.”

“I suppose so. They were only able to remove so much of the Wailing’s acid, and it appears some of it made its way to my spine.” Coatsworth clarified, sighing out. “But I have no regrets. I would do it again in a heartbeat.”

“We still didn’t get to thank you!” Sola added, jumping in front of him. “So thank you! Thank you so much!”

“You took the hit like a champ. Eternally grateful.” Harley followed up, hugging Sola from behind.

“Of course. My only shame is that the Wailing still managed to leave more lasting damage.” Coatsworth said, turning to a slightly ashamed Wess. “My dearest apologies.”

“…there was hardly much any of us could do about that.” Wess stated, as Julia went to hug her side. “Thank you, truly. Yours were the actions of a hero.”

Coatsworth found himself charmed, as he tried to remain looking humble. “…when you see the chance, you take it. That was all there was to it.”

Still so much humility. Percy realised, as she watched the team still fawning over him. I guess we really should be grateful it didn’t end up worse…

———

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…poor Cecil.”

Florey stared worriedly into the infirmary, with Cecil still in the same position he’d been in for weeks. He hadn’t been permitted inside yet, so he was just left to stare in from the outside.

“…h-haven’t the Wailing done enough to us?” Florey complained, starting to feel himself well up.

“HEY!”

Florey jumped suddenly, recognising the voice behind him and wiping his tears quickly, before turning to face Marcus.

“I said you couldn’t come down to the lower floors.” Marcus insisted, deliberately leaning over Florey to freak him out, as Florey backed away.

“I-I-I needed to. M-My Wailing p-project and Rosalind a-and…I needed to know i-if he was oka-“

Marcus raised his hand to shut him up, before his gaze sunk.

“…you’re just gonna keep coming down here until he’s better, huh?” Marcus reasoned, as he sighed out and marched forward. “You delay your work, I keep having to drag you back up…”

Florey wanted to speak up, only for Marcus to drag his foot and walk to the infirmary entrance, opening it up.

“…until you complete your project, you’re permitted to come down here. Check on Cecil if you need, but don’t let it affect your work.” Marcus declared, nodding his head inside, as Florey wasted no time heading inside and up to Cecil’s bedside.

Even up close, he looked no different. Just as stiff and motionless as outside. However, Florey at the very least was happy to see his breath rising slightly, showing a minimal amount of life.

“…so.”

Florey pulled his attention back to Marcus, still hovering over him.

“How IS your project?” Marcus asked, as Florey started to sweat. “Rosalind said you retrieved the Wailing, so all that’s left is the autopsy, right?”

Marcus’ scowl was left unbroken, as Florey started to stammer a reason, only for yelling to come out from the hallways and distract them both.

“Fuck off, you nosy little fucker! I don’t need your laced hippie love-in tea!”

“It’s herbal, and it helps with nerves and sleep.” Salaire insisted, following after Rosalind. “You haven’t been sleeping much since you los-“

Rosalind yanked out her sword and pushed it against Salaire’s stomach, as he stepped back in panic and held his hands up.

“I-I-I take it back! You’re fine, b-better than fine! The bags under your eyes m-make you look way hotter!” Salaire blurted out, nearly falling backward, as Rosalind held the sword there until he did.

As Salaire pulled himself up, Rosalind spotted Marcus and rushed into the infirmary.

“Marcus, fire him.”

“I’m not doing that.” Marcus stated, folding his arms, as Salaire wandered in, only for Rosalind to brandish her sword again.

“Then let me kill him already.”

“Really funny joke, Rosalind.” Marcus said, subtly indicating to Florey, as Rosalind only just acknowledged he was here.

Florey stared at her in confusion, unsure whether to take her threat to Salaire literally, as she put her sword away.

“I’ve been meaning to speak with you.” Marcus said, as Rosalind raised an eyebrow. “We have your replacement arm ready for installation.”

“What?” Rosalind let out, as Florey found himself subconsciously staring at where her left arm used to be, now covered with a makeshift cloak he guessed was from the bedsheets she was using in the Wailing storage room.

“We need you at peak efficiency. You’re only half as effective without it.” Marcus stated, as Rosalind got in his face.

“I’m not a fucking machine.”

“You’re still an employee though. His and my employee.” Marcus said, indicating to Cecil in the bed. “And he’d say the same thing. You went off on your own, lost a limb, and now we’re replacing it. You’re welcome.”

“You of all…” Rosalind started, gritting her teeth. “How bout you kiss him already and wake him up from his slumber, your majesty?”

“Rosalind, I let your tone slide.” Marcus reminded her, before taking a step forward. “But we’re talking about work. And once again, you owe me.”

Rosalind could feel her blood boiling, as she felt the need to pull out her sword, before turning around and storming out instead, grabbing her keys from her pocket.

“…when he wakes up, you tell that cunt he can take that arm and shove it up his comatose ass!”

Salaire blinked in shock at the harsh language, as Marcus scoffed, watching Rosalind storm off in the direction of the parking lot.

Florey needed a moment to detox from that, not really knowing if it was his place to comment on anything, before stepping to Marcus’ side. “U-Uhh…sir? Shouldn’t…you make sure she doesn’t leave?” Florey asked, his mind thinking back to the unattended Wailing. “I…really need her help going forward.”

“She’ll be back.” Marcus assured, pulling up a chair next to Cecil.

“A-Are you sure?” Florey reiterated, looking back to Salaire for help.

“She always comes back.” Marcus answered, lifting one of Cecil’s hands and holding it. “This isn’t the first time. She can’t fight her nature like that.”

Without much else to go off of, Florey gave Cecil another once-over, before heading back to the Wailing storage room to cover for Rosalind as she disappeared out of the building, as Salaire let out a worried breath.

“Quite the unruly bunch we are…”

———

“…”

“Come on!”

“…”

“…for the…argh!”

“…”

“…son of a bitch! This is hopeless!”

Percy stared down at the ground, lost in her own head on the back porch of Julia’s house, only being pulled out of it when Wess threw Belvedere to the ground in frustration, crouching down with her hands balled up.

“Wess?” Harley asked, looking over from her training post, as Wess shook her head in annoyance.

Harley quickly jogged over, before resting her hand on Wess’ back.

“Hey, hey, it’s all good.” Harley interjected, as Wess tried standing back up. “You won’t get it straight away.”

Wess sharply breathed out, before picking up Belvedere again. “It’s stationary, and I can’t even hit the goddamn thing. My depth perception’s still betraying me. We finally get to train outside of the academy and…”

Harley rested her hands on her side, as Wess glared back at the post.

“…fuck this.” She let out, dropping Belvedere again and heading inside, passing by Percy and almost hitting the door frame as she went in.

Julia caught this right as she was heading outside, only for Wess to groan and charge right past her.

“We-”

“Not now!” Wess yelled, heading back into her room, as Julia kept her eye on her, before meeting back up with Harley and Percy.

“Hey, what’s all the yelling?” Dulce cried out, bursting in through the front door, as Harley stepped in.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“It’s all good, Dulce! Wess is just having a tough time!” Harley explained, as Dulce gave a quick nod, before stepping back outside.

Julia looked up at Harley. “Did she get hurt?”

Harley shook her head. “She’s struggling to train. Her depth perception’s totally off. It’s not really something we can fix for her…”

“…Pather said as much. I wish there was anything we could do…” Julia admitted, before catching Percy staring off into space again and deciding to distract herself.

She sat behind her. “Still thinking about Pather’s offer?”

Percy noticed Julia there and nodded, as Julia handed a sandwich over.

“It’s a pretty big life decision. Sorry we can’t…give more feedback, I guess.” Julia admitted, as Percy shook her head.

[I get it. It’s very personal to me.] Percy agreed, before taking a bite.

“…you know, the head of the engineering department back at the academy’s also mute. Jovie.” Julia explained, as Percy’s eyes lit up. “You could ask her about it. She’d have a more first-hand understanding.”

[Really?]

“Yeah. You probably never met her since you’re not a student. She’s pretty busy.” Julia clarified, before standing back up. “It’s worth a shot, at least.”

“She’d be more helpful than us.” Harley admitted, shrugging, as Percy finished off her sandwich, before grabbing another one, right as Julia started heading back inside.

“Let me know when my dad and Sola get back with the groceries. I’ll leave some food for them.” Julia offered, as Harley gave her a thumbs up, right as she went to Essex’s door.

Essex was mostly following after Percy in terms of getting trapped in her own head. She’d spent most of the time after coming back from the academy feeling sorry for herself, with the weight of her prosthetic only making things more difficult.

Fortunately, a gentle knock came to her door.

“You’re welcome.” Essex said, as Julia opened up it up.

“Hey. Just dropping off some food, and I wanted to check up on you. Is the prosthetic still…chugging along?” Julia asked, before feeling embarrassed. “…I-I mean, do you need help with it at all?”

Essex slowly shook her head, before turning her gaze away from Julia.

“Okay…is it a bit weird?” Julia questioned, drawing Essex’s attention again. “I had a friend in high school whose dad got a prosthetic leg, and he said he felt like a cyborg pirate walking around with it.”

“…did he own a boat?” Essex asked, as Julia tilted her head.

“…no, no I think he just had a long beard.” Julia recalled, before spotting Essex’s sunken gaze again.

“…it…is not the hand.” Essex admitted, hiding her face, as Julia approached the side of her bed.

“Okay. You wanna talk about it?” Julia said, as Essex didn’t really give a yes or no.

“…I have lost many things in my life.” Essex stated, looking to her scythe. “But within the confines of my life, they have not mattered. According the Muer, one does not bask in the extremities of life, so by this principal, regret is obsolete. These feelings are impermanent and selfish.”

Essex slowly lifted her hand, as Julia sat down on the edge of Essex’s bed. “By extension, the body is the same. Muer tinusa. Selamorta no. The body is a vessel. Pain is temporary.”

Julia could see Essex trying to force a fist out of her hand, only for it to refuse to do so.

“…so w-why do I care? This body will not last.” Essex let out, lifting it up vitriolically. “This should not be i-important, but it has kept we awake at night with anxious worries.”

Julia wrapped her gloved hand around Essex’s arm and slowly lowered it. “Well…regardless of the philosophy, it’s still part of you that you lost from doing the right thing. You sacrificed it protecting our dorm and fighting off Rosalind. Wess is feeling that too. It’s not fair, and that feeling really sucks.”

Suddenly, Julia found Essex locking eyes with her, before pulling back suddenly.

“No.” Essex refused, shaking her head. “I refuse that.”

Essex stood up and looked down to Julia.

“I did not sacrifice this to protect anyone. I was not concerned with the dorm, all I wanted was to fight and kill Rosalind.” Essex confessed, solid in her resolve. “This was not lost in a noble effort.”

“W-What do you mean?” Julia asked, as Essex slammed her foot down.

“…I knew that no one was at risk in the dorm and that you were all dealing with Wicker and the Wailing. I needlessly risked my life against Rosalind so that I could fulfill a selfish desire to enact justice.” Essex declared, speaking far more emotionally than Julia was used to. “…Wess saved Harley and Sola…I did nothing. I fucked up.”

Julia watched on in surprise, as Essex poured her heart out. “I…have never been a good member of the clan.” Essex confessed, tears starting to stream from her eyes, even as she tried to hold them back. “…and I have p-pushed against my nature in order to be, but it has a-always been a wasted effort.”

She glared at her prosthetic again. “The c-clan would be disgusted with me for this.”

Essex was just crying at this point, trying to hide herself from looking down at the connector, as Julia took a second to take it all in, before standing up as well and guiding Essex back down to the bed.

“…okay.” Julia said, looking back at her. “…I wasn’t there, so I can’t say whether what you did was right or wrong.”

Julia slid her hand underneath Essex’s prosthetic one, before lifting it and locking their fingers together. “So, if you could change your behaviour, what would you do differently next time?”

Essex felt a bit put on the spot, still reeling from her emotional outburst, as she wiped at her eyes again.

“…I must choose which fights are worth having.” Essex decided. “And…I do not believe all of the Segaru Clan’s teachings have been aiding me…I will need to reassess my values…”

Julia smiled. “That sounds like a good start.”

Feeling her breathing return to normal, Essex suddenly felt Julia’s head lower onto her shoulder, as Julia lay on Essex’s side and closed her eyes.

“…I can safely say, we’re just glad you’re still here…” Julia confessed, as Essex felt her heart flutter, right as the setting sun started coming through the window, basking themselves in the few remaining rays of the day.

Essex left herself there, letting Julia start to fall asleep on her, as they both finally got some much needed rest.

———

“…ey, hey! You know my drink! Come on, barkeep! Get your ass in high gear!”

“R-Right, so sorry Ripper!” He warbled, quickly going to grab his drink, as Ripper sat down at the bar, along with the rest of his team.

“I think Team Wyld deserves a bit more respect!” Another member insisted, slamming his hand down on the bar. “Maybe we can refuel our bikes for free?”

“F-Free?!” The barkeep worried, the team now getting looks from the rest of the bargoers, before Ripper slapped his arm.

“Hey, come on. We can’t dry him up completely.” Ripper insisted, lying back onto the bar and stretching out. “Once we get this Wailing bastard tomorrow, we’ll be swimmin’ in luxury. We’ll never need to pay for fuel again after tonight!”

“Will it cover the booze though?” Another member insisted, getting laughs from the rest of the team, right as the front door to the bar slammed open, with Rosalind dragging herself in, visibly sunken with her sheets trailing behind her.

She pocketed her car keys and briefly drew the attention away from Team Wyld, still getting looks as she approached the bar, walking up to Ripper.

She glanced down at the stool.

“You checkin’ out the goods?” Ripper asked, as Rosalind stared him in the eyes.

“You’re in my seat.”

“…tch.” Ripper let out, leaning forward. “I got here first. This is usually where I sit.”

“You lookin’ to scrap?” Another member insisted, getting in Rosalind’s face, as Ripper held her back.

“Hey, let’s not ruin the vibe here. You want a drink?” Ripper offered, as Rosalind checked over the rest of the team.

“I don’t drink.” Rosalind insisted, getting a laugh from Ripper.

“Then why’d you want my seat? And what’s with the bedsheets?” Ripper remarked, before standing up to address her. “Geez, you’re a weird one. Do you know who you’re talking to?”

“I drove here aimlessly, so no.” Rosalind asked, as Ripper sneered.

“We’re Team Wyld, the one and only biker Venator gang. We usually only fuck up Wailing, but we don’t like getting played around with.” Ripper stated, running his finger under Rosalind’s chin. “Capiche?”

Instead of answering, Rosalind took a few more glances, before heading to the entrance of the bar again.

“…that’s what I thought.” Ripper let out, getting nods of approval from his team. “Smarter than she looks.”

Just as he was about to get his drink, Rosalind stuck her head back inside.

“These your bikes outside?”

Ripper smirked. “Yeah, wh-“

Rosalind ducked out again, as Ripper took a second, before realising the obvious and hurrying outside, only to find Rosalind slicing through the bikes with her katana, hitting the gas tank on a couple and blowing them up.

“What the fuck?!” Ripper yelled out, as Rosalind lazily looked back at him.

“You lookin’ to scrap?” Rosalind asked, taking a few more jabs at the closest bike again, as Ripper grit his teeth and charged at her, followed by the rest of Team Wyld.

The fight wasn’t even fair.

Rosalind made quick work of the entire team, killing Ripper almost instantly and slowly witling down the other members. A couple of the ones with Whils got in a few good hits, but Rosalind was barely phased, making a point to take out whoever had just hit her last. Her expression remained motionless throughout, finding that ironically, even with only one arm, it didn’t hold her back as much as she thought it would. One of the perks of being ambidextrous, she guessed.

As the last member’s body fell to the ground, Rosalind let out a breath before surveying the situation. Her attention was drawn to the glowing light by one of the bodies, with their tablet having fallen out of their pocket.

Rosalind reached down to grab it and found a listing for a hunt the team were apparently in the middle of, showing a Wailing fairly close to the area.

Rosalind glanced at her surroundings and acknowledged it was the dead of night, only to retrieve her sword from one of the bodies and head into the woods.

———

Jovie, as usual, was busy tinkering away.

Admittedly, it was on training equipment, which was at least a good change of pace to student weaponry. A student had finally managed to get a decent dent in the seemingly indestructible training posts. In truth, they weren’t that at all, but it was a catchy name and made Jovie feel good to think people thought she was capable of that.

As she banged out the side of the post with a large hammer, it was only when she stopped briefly that she heard the incredibly loud knocking coming from the door, as Percy looked a bit sheepish.

[Sorry.] Percy signed. [I was trying to get your attention.]

Jovie dismissively waved her hand, before rolling her chair out. [Alright, how’d you break it?]

Percy looked a bit confused, before shaking her head. [I’m…not here for a weapon repair.]

[First-year?] Jovie asked. [Want me to look over your blueprints?]

Percy kept shaking her head. [I’m not a student. I came to ask a personal question.]

Jovie squinted a bit, before standing up and thinking things over while signing. […I…don’t know you personally. This is ki-]

[I’m friends with Team Valiant.] Percy admitted, as Jovie started to piece things together. [We were with Pather and she was telling me about surgery to get a voice box replacement. But I’m kind of in two minds about it.]

Jovie finally nodded, getting the idea, before spinning her chair to her desk and pulling out a box of weaponry.

[Right, that makes sense actually. You already use sign language more than most.] Jovie confessed, smiling. [I should’ve put two and two together.]

Percy looked around for somewhere to sit and propped herself up on a table, as Jovie took out a few pistols from the box and started tinkering with them.

She grimaced a little, before looking back to Percy. [Sorry. I’m paying attention.]

Percy jumped slightly and sat forward. [Julia told me, but I wanna be sure. You’re also mute, right?]

Jovie chuckled a little and nodded, as she put the pistols down. [Most people assume I’m deaf since I work with such loud equipment.] Jovie explained, before moving to put her goggles on proper. [But it means people don’t bother talking to me, which means more work gets done.]

Jovie pointed back at Percy. [That, I do like.]

[And people just don’t check?] Percy wondered, as Jovie shrugged.

[Why would they? It’s mostly students coming in for repairs. They’re not staying to chat.] Jovie explained. [I prefer signing though. I’ve always liked working with my hands.]

She took the opportunity to assess the pistols again, before pulling out another box and chucking them in there, then turning her attention back to Percy.

Percy gave her a once over. [Am I interrupting?]

[Yes.] Jovie confessed. [But everyone always is, so I’m not taking it personally.]

Percy found herself smirking, before remembering why she was here. [Did you get the chance to have the surgery?]

Jovie nodded, before mockingly making a gun motion with her fingers and shooting herself.

[Hard pass.] Jovie admitted. [Already not a fan of surgery. I like prodding, I don’t like when people prod me. No disrespect to Pather though, that woman is a saint.]

Jovie pointed to her chest. [For me, I just didn’t see a point in it.] Jovie admitted. [Frankly, if I could talk, it’d just mean Faller would make me interact with more students and teach more classes. I’m comfortable with how I am now.]

Percy drooped her eyes. [You’re saying what I think you’re saying, right?]

[Yep. It’s your choice.] Jovie replied, as Percy sighed out. […you’re not used to having that, are you?]

Percy found herself looking a little guilty, as Jovie grinned.

[Talk, don’t talk, who gives a shit.] Jovie remarked, before leaning forward. [Ask yourself this. Would it be a net positive to be able to speak in your life? Cause the answer for most people is yes.]

Percy found herself a bit stunned, as she found herself agreeing.

[…communication is an invaluable tool.] Jovie insisted, lifting up another weapon. [I put personal touches all throughout these weapons. I may not want to chat with most students, but this is my way of talking to them. Their ideas, my designs, back and forth collaboration. It’s like a conversation we’re having.]

Percy started to nod along, smiling subtly to herself, before standing back up.

She slapped her own forehead mockingly. [I think I knew from the start.]

[You usually do. That’s intuition.] Jovie confessed, tapping the side of her head. [That’s what happens when people shut up for two seconds, they start to think.]

Percy silently chuckled at the remark, as Jovie returned to tinkering with the box of weapons, only to notice Percy not leaving.

[If that’s everything, I really am busy, now more so with the chatting. Maybe I liked chatting with you since you’re not technically a student?] Jovie questioned, only to notice Percy sidling up behind her and tapping her shoulder.

[If it’s alright…] Percy started. [I’m kinda interested in some of your work here.]

Jovie lowered her gaze. [It’s mostly repair work. You’d just be sitting there while I handle things.]

Percy grinned. [Maybe we could try one of those silent conversations you like having.]

Jovie admittedly found herself charmed by Percy’s proposition, before shaking her head and motion for her to pull up a chair and join her.

———

“Fuck me, why won’t this headache go away…I’m a doctor, drugs should be my friend…”

Pather leaned back in her chair, almost falling over, as she downed a couple more pills to handle her headache, washing them down right after.

She scanned around the empty infirmary and reached into one of her drawers, before pulling out a small joint she’d yet to roll.

“Might as well step out and self-medicat-“

“Doctor Pather?”

Pather slammed the drawer shut and faced the door, as Wess stepped inside, folding her arms.

“Don’t call me Doctor Pather, it feels wrong.” Pather insisted, rolling her chair over. “What’s wrong? Pain in the scar? Did the pain killer wear off?”

“No, fortunately, that’s been quite mild so far.” Wess admitted, sighing out.

“…okay. Just felt like visiting?”

Wess locked her gaze with her. “I wanted to ask what the chances were of getting surgery.”

Pather lifted her head, before turning around in her chair. “Wess, I already told you we can’t make it happen.”

“I know. I just want to be reminded of the numbers instead of bitching and moaning aimlessly like I have been.” Wess insisted, breathing out heavily. “Six percent, right?”

Pather could see the pain on Wess’ face, as she pulled out another chair and patted it, encouraging Wess to join her.

Wess slowly sat down soon after, as Pather pulled her attention to her.

“…this is bullshit.” Pather let out, showing her hands.

Wess squinted. “I know that.”

“I mean it. This is unfair.” Pather sympathised. “You fend off a Wailing for the academy, and you lose your eye. Where’s the justice in that?”

“…that’s typical for a lot of Venators though, isn’t it?” Wess agreed, as Pather nodded.

“Of course it is. We reward our heroes by having them get maimed. It’s a vicious cycle.” Pather admitted, staring off at the fortunately empty infirmary beds.

“Yes, well…” Wess muttered, still visibly bitter, as Pather side-glanced her.

“…I’m only bringing this up because it’s pertinent to our discussion, but I’m reminded of Avalon.” Pather started, as Wess looked back at her in surprise.

“How so?”

“A lot of people don’t know that I was tasked with performing surgery once he got back.” Pather confessed, as Wess’ eye widened. “His team insisted there was still a bit of life in him, but…”

Pather shook her head, letting out a groan of annoyance. “…look, this whole job is unfair. Name another profession where people die this much.”

Wess found herself lost for words, as Pather sat up, almost holding herself up. “But…and I know this isn’t what you want to hear…it could’ve been worse.”

Wess started to see what she was saying, even if it barely helped her situation.

“It could always be worse. It’s a miracle those Wailing didn’t kill more people.” Pather stated. “But there’s people who lose entire functions in their body after a Wailing attack. Or vital organs. Or just die.”

“…I know what you’re saying, but a tragedy is just that. There’s no reason to compare it on some sort of scale just to devalue what I’m going through.” Wess declared, as Pather shook her head.

“No, that’s fair. Pain is pain.” Pather agreed. “But you saved people. You saved your teammates from getting killed.”

Pather pointed back at Wess’ scar. “You lost your eye, yes, but Harley and Sola are still alive because of what you did.”

Wess subconsciously ran a finger over the scar, recalling the memory of Harley and Sola huddled together, bracing for the Wailing to attack.

“…right.”

“Be mad all you want. It’s not fair…but you also didn’t have to become a Venator.” Pather pointed out, leaning backward. “You take risks in this job, but you also save lives. That’s the balance.”

Pather tapped her fingers on her chair, watching as a wave of emotions rolled over Wess’ face, trying her best to internalise the advice.

“…balance.” Wess remarked, scoffing a little, before getting up. “I guess life just likes dealing me a bad hand…”

She headed out right after, trudging somewhat, as Pather took a second, before throwing her head back, trying to ignore her headache.

“Impromptu counselling…quite the chaser for a day like today…”

———

It had been another sleepless night.

They hadn’t been getting much better. A cold sweat brought on by flashbacks of the night, the illusion of the smell of smoke drifting into her nose, as her hand started to sting, pulling her up out of bed.

Except it wasn’t her hand, that wasn’t there anymore.

It still stung, crying out in pain even without anything there to be hurt.

Not wanting to disturb anyone else’s sleep, Essex tried to quiet her breathing, feeling her body tense at the pain, before she remembered to wrap her other hand around it.

“…i-it is not there…”

The pain stuck around.

“…it is not there…”

…

“…it is not there anymore…”

…the pain subsided.

Letting out a content breath, Essex tried to lie back down and sleep, only for her sweat drenched body to make it even more uncomfortable than it already was.

She dragged herself out of bed, rubbing her face in frustration, before catching her reflection in the laundry window and staring at it.

Her Team Vivisect shirt, despite its cheap material, still held strong. One of the few things that actually survived the fire, unlike a majority of her suits and dress shirts.

She pulled it off and threw it to the bed, before grabbing a towel from one of the baskets lying around and wiping her body down.

As she did, she started to notice all the small scuffs and scars across her body, spotting them in the reflection too, basically anywhere there was space. Bite marks, slashes, stab wounds, punctures, all in her efforts to protect herself and the Segaru Clan.

Her attention drifted to her ponytail, almost meeting her full height with just how long it was. It had actually been burned during the fight, with the ends of it still crisp and hardened, but her shame meant she hadn’t really told anyone about it, and her clan teaching discouraged cutting it any shorter unless it actively impeded her ability to act on Muer.

Before joining, she cut her hair fairly regularly. Surviving in the woods, hair was one of the things most likely to get caught in branches, or be grabbed by wild animals and Wailing. Once she had to grow it out, she found herself accidentally chopping at it here and there during combat, but to her, that was just an occupational hazard.

Before she knew it, she was almost caressing the burnt ends with her metal connector, only to realise what she was doing and pull it away.

It felt strange thinking about what it was like when she acted on her own. She had to, that’s how she was alive now. But she owed the clan, they saved her. And then she saved them, over and over…without a thank you.

…not that she needed a thank you.

Even if it wasn’t what woke her up, these thoughts were definitely what was keeping her up.

“…am I…holding them back?” Essex wondered, pressing her hand to the glass. “…or…”

Essex looked back at the door out into the lounge room, thinking about just how much the others had opened her up to parts of herself she’d never thought about before. Harley and Sola showed her a love she used to think she didn’t need, Julia encouraged her to find out new things about herself and who she could be, and Wess helped her see and analyse the world in ways she never tried to before.

And the clan…

…had saved her once.

“…”

Essex found herself lingering on thoughts she pretended hadn’t been there for a while now, as she looked back at the ponytail again, feeling just how weighty it really was, how much the burnt ends really bothered her.

“…”

In her honest opinion, it would’ve looked better if it wasn’t hanging behind her all the time.

“…”

Finally letting it drop, she looked around the laundry, before finding a few drawers and opening them, digging around.

Eventually, she found a pair of scissors, as she went and sat back on her bed, taking her ponytail again.

She caressed it for a moment, almost like she was thanking it, preparing herself for what she was about to do, while breathing and silently raising the scissors to the top of her ponytail.

Just like before, she started to breathe heavily, feeling herself wanting to back out, as she closed her eyes.

“…i-i-it is n-not there…” She repeated in hopes to calm herself down. “I-It…is not there…”

Feeling her hand shake, she forced herself to open her eyes, before looking down at the connector again, lying in her lap, as she reminded herself why she was doing this.

“…it is not there…” She stated again, feeling her heart calm. “…and…that is okay…”

Finally, she started to cut.

It took a few good slices to get through since there was so much of it, but by the time she was done, it fell back behind her, the weight off her shoulders, as she looked back.

It was splayed out on the bed, the few white streaks breaking up the black sheet of hair, as she let go of her breath and put the scissors down.

Feeling her body start to give in a little, she grabbed as much hair as she could and dumped it in an empty basket, before heading back to bed, feeling so much stranger without the massive swath of hair she usually lay on top of.

“…maybe…” Essex started, only to shake her head and sigh. “…no…I do not regret this…”

She found herself sinking into the bed, drifting back to sleep.

“…it’s time I start living for me…”

———

The Wailing trundled through the crevice, dragging itself along on its injured legs, trailing streaks of blood across the ground, as it scanned around itself, keeping a cautious eye out for whatever was hunting it down.

It could barely see anything due to the dead of night, before the heated claw that tried to dig into it earlier swung by its side, nearly slashing it again.

It took a quick turn at an upcoming corner, slamming against the crevice interior, only to come face to face with a dead-end, too massive to climb, and now blocked off by the thing hunting it.

Rosalind stood there, watching as it panicked, her sword the only thing producing light with its heat, as she held it by her side, letting the Wailing squirm.

Realising it had no other alternative, the Wailing cautiously opened its mouth, clearly starting to use whatever form of magic it had to defend itself, only for Rosalind to run up to it and slice down its throat, twisting and turning, before finishing the job, as the Wailing’s body collapsed on the ground in a heap.

The cold air rushed over Rosalind, as her hair stood up and a rush ran over her body, looking down at her bloodied sword with a wild stare.

And…

…

…

…nothing.

…

It was nothing again.

Just as quickly as it arrived, it disappeared. That feeling failed to last.

Despite the effort.

…

…Rosalind could feel herself breathing now, as she looked up at the night sky, admitting to herself she knew this would happen.

It always did whenever she felt like this.

…

In a bid of desperation, she reached into her pocket, before pulling out her car keys again, looking up from the crevice, as she gripped them tightly in an effort to draw out blood.

“…why is it never e-enough…?”

It was a slow drive back. By the time she’d returned, it was already morning, with all the employees of EHM filing back into the building. Rosalind pivoted to the car park, noticing just how empty it was in comparison.

“…well, it’s about as dead as I thought it’d be.”

Rosalind dragged herself through the car park and into the lower floors of EHM, feeling the same stuffiness she’d become accustomed to at this point. She meant to head straight back to the Wailing storage room to avoid running into Marcus, but she was still taking her time.

“At least no one’s here to say I told you so or whatever…half expecting a welcome party…”

“Rosalind! You’re back!”

Rosalind turned to face Florey, who was running right past her. “Florey, hey.”

“Come on! There’s been some movement! Cecil’s finally starting to get up!” Florey exclaimed, running right for the infirmary, as Rosalind found herself following along, though not nearly at the same excited pace.

Once she arrived, she found everyone she expected gathered around him, with Salaire stepping aside to give Florey some room to see.

“Don’t crowd him.” Marcus insisted, as the doctor tried to step in.

“What…he said. It’ll still take some time for him to recover, so we should let him work at his own pace.” The doctor assured.

“He doesn’t let us do that.” Rosalind chimed in, walking up to join them.

“Hey, there you are. Have a fun little vacation?” Salaire asked, as Rosalind mockingly grinned at him, before flipping him off.

“I’m kinda wishing you were there…” Rosalind insisted, as Marcus shooshed everyone, right as Cecil’s eyes started to flutter open.

“…wh…”

“Ryan?” Marcus asked, as Florey noticed a concern he’d never seen on Marcus’ face before.

Cecil slowly sat up, wincing in sheer pain, as he looked at everyone there, only half registering what was going on.

“…where…”

He blinked a few times.

“Where’s...your arm?”

Acknowledging what he said, everyone present looked to Rosalind, parting slightly so Cecil could get a better look at her.

“I lost it while we were at the academy.” Rosalind answered, only for Wicker to start sitting up in his bed, propping himself up on his arms.

“I mean...the prosthetic Marcus would have given you. Where is it?” Cecil said, as the doctor rushed to his side.

“Sir, you shoul-”

“I don’t need it.” Rosalind replied, just as Wicker scowled.

“That’s...nothing...” Wicker insisted, struggling with the words. “What...good are you if you can’t do your job?”

“I can still use my sw-” Rosalind went to argue, before Wicker slammed his fist into the bed.

“Put it on.”

Rosalind stood back instinctually, debating whether to argue or keep to herself.

“Wear the fucking arm...” He let out, slowly falling back onto the bed. “You don’t get a say in this.”

Cecil drifted off to sleep, as Florey started to panic and reached out.

“C-Cecil?” Florey worried, as the doctor held him back.

“He’s just sleeping, don’t worry. He expelled too much energy just now.” The doctor explained, sighing out. “I was lenient before, but I’ll need everyone out while I run a couple tests on him.”

He looked back at Rosalind, still reeling a bit. “And to get you fitted, of course.”

“…fucking bastard…” Rosalind grumbled, clenching her fist, as Salaire noticed her attitude and took Florey by the shoulders.

“We should probably clear out.” Salaire insisted, as Florey couldn’t help looking back at the scene in the infirmary, his attention on Cecil and Marcus still by his side, before changing to Rosalind, visibly furious and swearing under her breath.

All in all…nothing had changed.

———

“…kay, how’s that feeling?”

Percy gave a quick thumbs up, as Pather took her hands off the bandages around Percy’s neck.

“That was so quick.” Julia remarked, as Sola sat by Percy’s side, with Harley and Wess standing nearby. “It’s done already?”

“The surgery part.” Pather explained, turning back to Percy. “The advice it gonna sound similar to what I told Essex, but it’ll take time to adjust. Not as long as hers, but you’ll need to train yourself to learn how to talk. It’s a muscle, so exercise it regularly.”

Percy nodded along, taking a nervous breath in, before trying to say something and wincing.

“Wait, too early!” Pather insisted, throwing her hands up. “Geez, slow your roll. Give it a few minutes to settle in.”

Percy opened her eyes back up, as Sola held her hand and smiled back up at her.

“This is so cool.” Sola exclaimed, as Percy smiled through the pain.

“Also, just a heads up. The voice box is partly synthetic.” Pather explained, rolling her hand. “It’s mechanical. If it’s damaged, it won’t bleed, it’ll break. But you’re not a Venator, so as long as you’re not fighting any constricting snakes, or suck at wearing ties, this shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Is the tie one a joke or real?” Harley asked, as Pather stood back up.

“No, that actually happened.” Pather admitted, scratching her head. “You get some weird shit coming in with my line of work.”

As Harley went to join the others in checking on Percy, Pather used the opportunity to hang back with Wess and lean next to her.

“How’re you holding up?” Pather asked, as Wess sighed out, before facing her.

“…I’ve been better.” Wess confessed, before watching the others excitedly gathering around Percy. “…thinking back on what you said, there’re parts of my life that have been very lucky, and very unlucky. This is just the latter.”

Harley tried picking up Percy to celebrate, only to get resistance from Julia and Sola. Percy, to compensate, stood up on the bed herself, as Harley cheered for her and Julia and Sola tried pulling her back down.

“But, it’s also a reminder of what I did to protect the former.” Wess insisted. “For what it’s worth, I’ll wear it as my badge of honour for as long as they continue to make me happy.”

Pather found herself taken aback by Wess’ attitude, almost feeling a sense of pride welling up in her, before fortunately having her attention drawn to the main doors of the infirmary, with Essex making her way inside.

It took Wess a second to notice anything different, as she acknowledged Essex coming in, then noticed her hair much shorter than usual and her lack of a suit jacket.

“Essex.” She let out, her mouth agape. “Did you cut your ponytail?”

The rest of the others turned to face her as well, each reacting to Essex’s change in their own time, as Sola ran up to her curiously.

“Whoa. Hottie alert.” Harley let out. “Hey babe. We were gonna bring you with us, but Julia knocked on your door and got no response. Figured you were still asleep.”

“That was a fair assessment.” Essex replied, as Sola scanned all around her.

“You look so different!” Sola exclaimed, bobbing Essex’s hair up and down with her hands. “Why’d you cut it?”

“…I am taking my life into my own hands.” Essex declared, proudly holding out her scythe. “I am no longer restricting myself. I wish to embrace what life has given me and find my own path.”

“W-Wow…” Julia let out, almost despite herself, before blushing and looking away. “Well…we’ll be happy to help you in your…journey of self-discovery, I guess.”

“Are you stepping away from the clan?” Wess asked, coming over as well, as Essex shook her head.

“…I don’t believe all their teachings have been beneficial to me.” Essex confessed. “But I still own them a great debt, so I will do my best to respect their wishes and respect myself.”

Wess found herself amused, before chuckling slightly. “You continue to impress me, dear.”

“Well, what do you wanna do now?” Sola asked, hopping in front of Essex. “You’ve got a new lease on life, so what’s your first big thing?”

“Yeah, let yourself indulge. What’s something you wouldn’t normally do?” Harley asked, coming over and leaning on Sola’s head.

Essex scratched her chin.

“…demand something?”

Harley shrugged. “Okay, what’s your declaration?”

Essex thought a bit more, before coming up with an idea and reaching out to Sola, grabbing her shoulders suddenly.

“Sola, let’s have sex!”

“Wha?!” Sola let out, as the others freaked out. “Right now?!”

“No, later!” Essex insisted, smiling back at her. “But I love you, so let’s do that! And with Harley too!”

Harley was leaning on Sola, as a laughing fit took her over, tears coming from her eyes at how hard she was laughing.

“G-Geez. Lease on life Essex is a horndog.” Julia let out, as Harley kept cackling wildly.

“Essex, maybe don’t comment on that in public.” Wess advised, indicating to Pather, whose attention was on the inside of Percy’s mouth.

“I checked out a while ago.” Pather admitted, putting her flashlight away, before giving Percy the go ahead.

Percy took a nervous breath, before pushing herself to try it.

“…h-h…” Percy managed, still feeling a lot of strain on her neck, as the others all turned back to her, waiting in anticipation.

Sola’s embarrassment was replaced with excitement, as she jumped over, giving Percy a double thumbs up.

“You got this! Just believe in yourself!” Sola declared, as Percy readied herself.

Staring back at everyone, she started to feel her apprehension replaced with hope, as something she’d wanted for so long was finally hers. Wicker’s influence was disappearing by the day, and she couldn’t be happier.

With a smile on her face, she said her first word.

“…h-hello…”