NOT EDITED

It had been a while since she last saw her friends, she knew that for sure, felt it in her bones even. So when she, hopefully for last time in a while, opened her eyes to find herself back in the infirmary surrounded by them, inlcuding the healer mage Alcott, a nurse and Elder Ker, she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Ava wasn't a solo person, she enjoyed having a team, a group she could rely on when things got tough and right now, she desperately needed them. Her head was pounding and her throat was dry and sore. Her back didn't hurt, the only thing abnormal she felt was a warm buzz throughout her, not that she was going to complain about it, it felt good. Yet again, Tova was the first to notice she was awake, this time she didn't engulf her in a hug, nor did she let out a pleased screamed, she instead took a couple steps towards Avas bed, stared her dead in the eyes and slapped her. Not hard, but enough for Ava to feel a slight sting.

"What the fuck, Tova?" Ava held her hand up against her cheek, staring gobsmacked at Tova.

"Language," Ker commented, joining Tova.

"But-" She was cut short when Tova interrupted her.

"Would you stop giving me heart attacks, you dick!" Tova hissed, going to slap again but this time Ker stopped her, grabbing her wrist.

"Language," he gave her a pointed look, shaking his head. Then he released her wrist and folded his arms. He looked exhausted, dark bags under his eyes and his hair was dishelved, now that Ava was taking a look at them all as they joined her around her bed, they all looked knackered. Completely burnt out. Ava felt guilty, but how was she supposed to know she'd be fainting all over the place.

"Do you know how worried we were?" Raven practically yelled, copying Ker's stance. Her eyes narrowed on Ava, tapping her foot against the stone floor.

"I," Ava paused, redying herself for the verbal beating she would be faced with. "I was hungry!" She saw Jonah out of the corner of her eye, stifling a laugh with his hand covering his mouth. See, he gets me, she wanted to tell them, but kept her mouth shut.

"Of course you were hungry," Tova muttered, taking in a deep breath, she saw Raven let out an experated sigh, mouthing something along the lines of 'even when she's dying, all she thinks of is food', towards Jonah. Who inturn, let out a loud chuckle, unable to contain his laughter anymore.

"Alright that's enough, lets let healer Alcott and nurse Tots examine her in peace." Ker said, gesturing for the group to leave while he grabbed ahold of Tova, practically dragging her away. Jonah sent a quick, comforting smile Ava's way before they all disappeared down the hallway. Alcott approached her then, with nothing but a straight line on his face, he was trying to be professional, Ava assumed.

"You know, if I'm dying, you can just say so," Ava chuckled, completely honest. She never really understood sugar coating, she was a big girl, a warrior at that, she could take harsh truths. He merely shook his head, helping her up so he could examine her back. The nurse, Tots, stood in front of her with a smile, it was sincere, which comforted her. Tots had always been good a comforting when things were bad. If she was dying, she'd still feel fear, but she'd want to know. That way she'd be able to plan her farewell and die with a bang. Death didn't scare her, however the notion of not having time left to make the world a better place like her parents hand her ancestors, now that scared her.

Alcott started mumbling nonesense, so she sat there still, waiting for it to be over and for her to be deemed healthy enough to return back to her training. And so she could start helping the rest search for Tempest. Tempest hadn't spent much time on Ava's mind, she was still worried though, she had grown to like the new girl. She was feisty and definitely a fun partner to spar against. Though, Ava really hoped they'd give Tempest her own room when they found her. Yeah, when, not if. Ava was certain they would find her, the forest might be large, filled with some dangers although nothing the students or teachers couldn't take care of, and she believed Tempest knew well enough how to handle herself out there.

"Your wound seems to be healing nicely, I can't detect any anomalities." Alcott said, a look of disappointment flickered across his features before he masked it. It was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "I'll be honest with you Miss Senshi."

"It's Ava, just Ava." She hated being formal.

"Ava," he paused, a shadow of a smile dancing on his lips. "I want to continue doing regular checkups, it doesn't seem right that," he paused again. He shook his head, as if trying to get his head straight. "That whatever energy your wound absorbed," yet again he stopped. Ava was getting annoyed with all his pausing. She was about to open her mouth when he mutted an 'excuse me' leaving Ava with the nurse as he disappeared, leaving only small streaks of glowing green behind, they fell for seconds before disappearing completely. No trace of him left. Ava had never really envied people with magic, but teleportation was a neat little trick she wouldn't have minded having the ability to do. Alas, she was just a human, with no special abilities beyond her training.

With a sigh, nurse Tots silently wrapped up her back, it was healed but any irritation could reopen it again, causing uneccessary trips to the infirmary. Ava thanked Tots, watching curiously as she walked away, until Ava remembered something.

"Wait!" She yelled, causing the nurse to stop and swirl around to face her. "Am I free to leave?" Ava felt a small blush creep up, she didn't want anyone worried about her disappearing again. The nurse laughed.

"Yes Ava, you may leave. I believe your friends are just outside," she said pointing towards the door on the right side of the infirmary. With a nod, Ava hurriedly rushed out of the infirmary, wanting nothing than to sleep in her own bed again, and perhaps steal some food.

Just outside the infirmary everyone sat, bar Jonah and Ker, who didn't seem to be anywhere in sight. Tova glanced up, watching as Ava walked up to them. Tova was sitting on the floor, Raven stood next to her, leaning against the wall, one leg up, bracing itself against the wall. It was silent as Ava approached, an unwanted feeling of anxiousness settled within her. They didn't look that happy afterall.

"We good?" Ava questioned immediately, watching both with a nervous glance. Silence.Then Tova and Raven laughed.

"All good," Raven commented, remvong herself from the wall and giving Ava a tight hug. "We were just messing with you," she whsipered.

"You deserved it," Tova added, joining them in a group hug.

"You're mean, you know that?" Ava laughed, pulling away as they stood laughing. "Where's Jonah by the way?" Ava glanced around again, trying to find the boy. She didn't bother asking where Ker went, she hardly thought he had told anyone where he was going.

"Oh-"

"Here!" His voice yelled, he was jogging towards them, holding a bag of something unknown. Ava interest peaked instantly as she watched him join them. "I had to go get you some food," he said, handing her the bag. It was filled with ham sandwiches, her favourite. Ava let out a sound of satisfaction as she opened the resealable bag, stuffing her face with one of the sandwiches. "They said you'd be hungry." Jonah chuckled, watching her stuff her face with the sandwiches.

"She always is," Raven chuckled, poking Ava's stomach.

"Shut it," Ava mumbled with a mouth full of bread and ham. "Any news on the search?" Ava asked after she swallowed.

"They can't find Tempest or any other beasts." Jonah answered, watching as the other girls nodded in agreement.

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"They're looking for more of it?" Ava questioned.

"Yeah, Mr Revol said he highly doubted there was just one." Tova mumbled, staring at the wall behind them. Of course Blake would think so, he was always so cautious.

"I can help now," Ava said without missing a beat, wanting nothing more than to get back out and into action, Tempest was her friend afterall, right?

"I doubt they'll let you," Raven muttered, folding her arms across her chest.

Fair, Ava had barely healed, but she wanted- needed to get out and help. She was restless, and the guilt was slowly eating her. She knew she was barely at full strength and might even slow people down in the search but she couldn't spend any second longer cooped up at the school, doing nothing, even if that time was mainly spent unconcious. Outside the sun was rising, casting an orange glow through the tall windows that Ava was all too familiar with, it was comforting though. People, students and teachers, started walking past them, all seemingly going outside. A boy, who's name Ava couldn't quick recall approached them. He strode with confident steps towards them, he sported a frown and a head full of curly hair, he even had a neatly trimmed stubble showcasing his sharp face. As he neered them he stopped and clasped his hands behind his back, he straightened himself before coughing, gaining their attention, even though they were all already aware of his presence.

"Raven, Tova, Jonah, Ava," he greeted them. "We have been summoned to continue the search," he had a raspy voice, as if he smoked everyday. Tova let out a sigh, nodding her head.

"Thanks Karver, we'll be there in a moment." Tova smiled gently at him. Karver, who Ava now remembered was lead of team Tesh, gave her a slight nod and left. His boots echoing. Then, Tova's attention turned towards Ava and she already knew what she was going to say.

"Yeah yeah, I'm not allowed to join." Ava said it with a smile, trying to comfort her friends that she'd be okay alone at the school, while they were out hunting. Her smile didn't reach her eyes, and everyone knew she wasn't happy about the circumstances but no one could do anything about it. Jonah gave her a squeeze on the shoulder before tugging Tova away outside. He was a gentle, caring soul that definetly wanted no harm to anyone. Even people he barely knew.

"I'll update you as soon as I can Ave," Raven muttered, pulling Ava into a hug.

"Thanks, now go." Ava said, a small chuckle escaping her as she watched Raven leave out the doors. It'd be hours until everyone returned, so she went to the one place she knew she was always welcome, the kitchen.

In the kitchen Levi was already at work, cooking a hot meal, baking cakes and making sandwiches, making Ava's stomach growl at the sight. Levi turned around, a grin formed as he saw her standing at the edge, staring at the food. He was a tall man, with grey hair and a round stomach. He had kind green eyes and an aura of warmth. Levi had been chef at the acadamy for as long as Ava could remember. Always cooking the best dishes and baking unique cakes. Food was art to him, and Ava, and he wanted nothing more than to feed the students an exquisite meal every day, always coming up with new ideas.

"Ava! Come in, have a seat." Levi motioned towards an empty barstool by the counter. She gladly obliged, sitting down and watching him continue to cook. "Here, have a cake, I see you've already eaten the sandwiches I gave Jonah." He laughed, eyeing the bag that Ava was still holding onto.

She chuckled, "well you do make the best ham sandwiches." Ava grinned as he handed her a chocolate cupcake, with white frosting and some colourful sprinkles ontop, Ava placed the bag on the side as she accepted the cake. Levi continued to cook, adding spices and vegetables to whatever dish he was making. After he was satisfied he turned towards Ava again, this time his face looked serious.

"How are you doing?" He gave her a sympathetic look.

"I'm alright, much better than the past few days." She replied honestly, she couldn't hide anything from that man, he could read her like an open book. And he cared, so he deserved to know the truth.

"That's great, I don't know quite what happened, but they say'd something about a beast clawing up your back?" A small sad smile played on his lips, he wasn't forcing her to tell him everything, but it wasn't a secret either.

"Yup," she started, popping the 'p'. "Don't know what the beast was, never seen one quite like it before, almost took out Blake, I had to help."

Levi nodded in understanding. "Well, you gotta be more careful in the future, but I'm glad you're okay, and now you get to brag about saving Revol's life." This time, a full blown grin rested on his face as his eyes crinkled.

Ava grinned too, it was something she would never let him live down when things went back to normal. She wasn't much of a bragger, but saving an instructors life was worth the death glares.

Ava had spent an hour with Levi before she retired to the lounge, the fire was lit, roaring in the fireplace. She'd stolen some pillows from the sofa and found a blanket in a nearby chest. She rolled herself up and sat watching the fire burn. Her thoughts wandering to the search, she hoped they would find something, anything. It had been days, Tempest couldn't have gotten that far and they had amazing trackers. It would only be so long until they found something. She thought back at the beast, 'death itself' she remembered thinking. It was a pitch black, it's eyes so white contrary to its body. Its claws was so sharp, and the sounds it made were horrifying. While she hoped there was none like it still out there she couldn't help but hope there was, it was a new beast, or an old one that had remained hidden, for how long though? It was intriguing, she wouldn't want to battle another, but rather study one. She sat like that, mind wandering, for some hours.

She was brought out of her thoughts hearing a door shut behind her, she glanced back and saw no one. "Levi?" She called out, no response was heard.

It could've been the wind, nevertheless Ava still stood up, walking carefully towards the doors that lead out into the hallway that connected all the rooms inside the academy. Glancing around, she saw nothing, until a shadow caught her eye sneaking down the stairs. Ava kept quiet that time, whoever it was couldn't have been up to any good. So as silently as she could, Ava followed, staying far enough back she would be hidden among the shadows, yet near enough to watch the figure move down the flight of stairs and into the basement. Now Ava was sure whoever they were couldn't be doing anything good, the basement was off limits, to everyone bar Hemway and the Elders.

Slowly she opened the basement door and crept in, trying her very best to not make a sound. Inside it was dark, the only light coming from a single torch that was held up by a wall. It wasn't enough light for Ava to see who the person was, though that meant it wasn't enough for the person to see her. Around them were boxes, all tucked away against the walls. They varied in size, going from tiny boxes that could fit in the palm of her hands to boxes that were twice her size. She briefly wondered what they held. She shook her head, refocusing on the person, who was now digging through some boxes. Ava could've confronted them then, except she didn't, Ava was far too curious to see what the person was looking for. If said person found it. Ava crounched behind some boxes, watching as they tore through each box. It could've been mere seconds or minutes, Ava didn't count, until the person seemed to have found what it was looking for. Ava's sight wasn't great, she could barely make out the form of a dagger in one hand and a circular shaped thing in the other. The shadowy figure inspected the objects, then with a sigh of relief, placed them in a bag they had swung other their shoulder. This was it, Ava had to confront them now, they were stealing from the academy.

She braced herself against the box, then pushed herself up in front of the person, who stopped dead in their tracks upon seeing they had company. They had a hood covering their face, obvously not wanting to be recognised. Ava took another step forward. Watching the hooded figure take a small step back, eyeing their surroundings, looking for an exit.

"You're stealing from the academy, I'll need you to place the bag on the floor and kick it to me." Ava said, her voice unwavering. She didn't have a weapon, only her voice and body. The latter still being weak from healing. The hooded figure contemplated their options before giving in, slowly taking their bag and moving it towards the floor. Ava watched them cautiously, they were moving too slow, giving themselves too much time to think. "On the ground, now." Ava growled, knowing she was in dnager.

"I don't think I can do that," the figure said, loud enough for Ava to hear and recognise. Tempest. Before Ava could react, the bag flew towards her, knocing her over. Tempest ran towards her and grabbed the bag, darting off towards the stair, Ava managed to grab her ankle, however Tempest shook her off with little effort and headed up the stairs.

"Fuck," Ava groaned, quickly getting back on her feet, running after Tempest. The sounds of their footsteps echoed around them, disturbing the silence. As they got up to the mainfloor, Ava saw Levi walking towards them, his eyebrows furrowing as he watched them run through the hallway. "Stop her Levi!" Ava shouted, running as fast as she could. He reacted too slowly, allowing Tempest to dodge past him and make a beeline out of the academy doors. Ava followed her out, her bare feet stomping into the gravel outside. Tempest took a left, running towards the woods. Straight towards the search party. Ava kept running after her, hoping she'd stumble into someone else who could help. No one was out and the sun had almost set. As they neared the forest Ava felt a lump in her throat, she wouldn't manage to catch up unless Tempest fell or stumbled. Which she didn't. Tempest disappeared into the tree line, the dark woods hiding her from everyone. Ava stopped in the forest, swirling around, trying to find her, but she saw nothing, no one. She let out a frustrated scream, grabbing at her dark hair. She knew there was something off with the new girl. Yet she would have never guessed Tempest was an enemy. For who though? A group of thieves? Mercenaries? The Queen?

Levi came up beside her, huffing as he had run to catch up with the young girls. "Who was that?"

"Tempest," Ava growled, still eyeing the forest. "She took a couple of objects, a dagger and something else." This time Ava turned to face Levi.

"We'll have to inform everyone, come now." Levi's voice was stern, angry even. He took off and Ava followed closely behind. Whatever Tempest was upto, Ava was going to get to the bottom of it.