Thursday, 19 September 2024, 9:02 am
Reyn feels the uncanny sensation of eyes staring at the back of his head. He straightens up on his seat and slowly shifts his gaze across the dorm's kitchen area where a number of other recruits were starting their morning.
He notices Lucien Fontaine quickly flick his head away as their eyes are about to meet.
Reyn stares at the back of his head intently. Lucien eventually builds the confidence to peek out toward Reyn and their sight fully binds. Lucien sucks his teeth as he mumbles in French whilst sipping on his coffee, staring at Reyn with a disgruntled sneer.
"Oh, shit! Sorry Lou! I can be really clumsy in the mornings." Jocelyn snorts as she purposefully nudges Lucien's chair while passing by, causing him to spill his coffee across his lap and shoes. He jumps from his seat, cursing at Jocelyn while flailing his arms about and slapping at his crotch.
Reyn lifts from his stool, and Ghazal quickly follows. The two snarl at Lucein who quickly drops back down to his chair to mutter again to himself as he gently rubs at his scorched groin. He lifts his hand to his forehead as he turns away from Reyn, trying in vain to hide the swollen, teary, blue-black bruise that covered most of the area around his left eye. He had earned it the day before, during a confrontation with Reyn.
Lucein had locked Ghazal in a chono-bubble for a few seconds during a mock battle, something the fight's invigilator expressly forbade. This caused Ghazal to experience days worth of time in only a few seconds, and as soon as the anguish of the experience crossed Ghazal's face, Reyn swiftly ended Lucein's show of torment with a swift right hook to his left eye socket.
Rick Justice, who was overseeing the match, elected to have Lucien carry the bruise as a reward for his insubordination instead of having it healed.
The recruits were now more than three months into their training program and we're well on their way to becoming full-fledged archaners. Each recruit has spent countless hours on the training ground and in the lecture hall perfecting an understanding of their aetherical abilities, combat and support tactics and various other aspects of their responsibilities as combat and support archaners.
Mock battles have also become a bi-weekly exercise, allowing the recruits to test out the theories they have learnt in a controlled, supervised environment.
Victoria Amari, the chrono and telekinetic would prove to be an essential part of these fights between the recruits, and sometimes, the invigilators overseeing them. With her aetherics, she could envelope the entire battlefield in a chronologically-locked bubble. Speeding up or slowing down time for its occupants. This would allow recruits to fight each other with all of their strength and ability in a pocket of slowed-down time, while the invigilators watched from outside, able to easily intervene at any moment. If any sign of unavoidable danger was detected, Victoria would freeze time in the area and pull the recruits out of the chrono-bubble with her telekinetics.
The mock battles would quickly become a favourite activity among the recruits as they use the opportunities to challenge each other competitively while gauging and comparing abilities.
Reyn has not had this opportunity though. He has spent the last three months working exclusively and closely with Ravinok to understand his aetherical abilities. As he had promised, Reyn willingly participated in all of Ravinok's tests and experiments, often to his physical detriment and after each test, he would provide a detailed account of his time in his mind and the choices presented by the aether bubbles.
After months of personalized trials and tests, Ravinok and Reyn have come up with an ever-evolving playbook that would be the basis of Reyn's aetherical usage. Composed primarily by GAIA, the guide was tailor-made for Reyn to help him use his ability effectively in almost any conceivable combat scenario. He would spend countless hours studying the required thought processes and actions he would be expected to perform at any given time. Greatly limiting his options, but allowing him to focus on the most viable choices to handle any situation.
Weeks of long, arduous physical tests and mock combat scenarios would teach Reyn that his aetherics, though unimaginably versatile and powerful, has many flaws and weaknesses to consider, besides the consequences that he has to contend with.
"Chill guys, let him enjoy his coffee!" Jocelyn hollers as she walks toward Reyn and Ghazal who still sneer in Lucein's direction. "Come on, let's get out of here. We've got a whole day to ourselves. I wanna do something fun." She says with a pout pointed at Reyn.
Reyn breaks from his fury and smiles at his girlfriend.
"What do you have in mind?"
"Whatever it is, count me out." Ghazal announces with a flick of his hand. "I'm gonna spend my day sleeping. Got a late-nighter planned. Little festival happening in that village round the bend. Lots of homemade alcohol involved apparently. Feel free to join me later if you feel so inclined."
Jocelyn slaps him on the back as she chuckles. "Maybe we will. Keep us some of the good stuff."
"Take it easy, Gaz. I won't be there to carry you home again." Reyn says with a nudge to Ghazal's hip.
"Yeah, yeah. Go jump his bones or something. You're giving me the ick with your happy couple schtick." Ghazal groans.
Reyn sees him off with another back slap and he wraps his arm around Jocelyn's neck as she wraps hers around his waist.
"So, what do you wanna do?" Reyn asks as they walk toward the dorm exit.
"Um, actually, I was kinda hoping we could just talk, you know. It's been a while since we've had a chance to relax like this."
"Oh, yeah, that's true." Reyn replies, his mind bouncing between memories of the last three months. "Yeah, sure, that would be great. Where do you…"
Jocelyn quickly whips around and pulls Reyn with her. They begin marching back into the dorms and towards Reyn's room.
"Oh… oh, shit. My room is a mess. Just give me a sec!"
Reyn rips himself off of Jocelyn and sprints to his room, leaving Jocelyn to catch her breath as she breaks into laughter.
He bursts through his door, snatching clothes and accessories off the floor and crudely tossing them into laundry baskets and wardrobes.
He kicks open the bathroom door and winces at the sight and smells. A furious multi-tasked mission commences as Reyn turns his bathroom from a disorganized mess to a slightly organised one. A few spritz of deodorant would help complete the ambience.
He tumbles back into his room, kicking anything that would fit under his bed and roughly arranging his desks and countertops. A deep breath and accomplished sigh later, he reaches for the door just as Jocelyn knocks.
"Come on in! You kept me waiting." He jokes, elegantly gesturing for Jocelyn to enter his abode.
She confidently struts in, but the overwhelming musk and drowning ambience of neglect overwhelms her. She coughs and snorts, but quickly finds her composer as she allows Reyn's existence to wash over here.
"Can I use your bathroom?" she whimpers.
Reyn nervously points her to a door near the entrance, she slips in and closes the door behind her. A muffled yelp alerts Reyn to her situation and he slowly succumbs to the shame washing over his entire being.
"Jesus, Reyn. You're disgusting!" Jocelyn yells out from the bathroom. "Oh god, no!"
She bursts out the door, grabs Reyn by the shoulder and marches him out of his room.
"I swear to god Mitchells, you ever invite me into that shit again, I'm breaking up with you. Ugh!" She slaps Reyn on the back as she scowls. "You're such a fucking caveman."
Her scowl turns into laughs and giggles as she teases Reyn for his lack of cleanliness. They reach her room and she confidently opens the door, leading Reyn inside as she latches to his arm.
"Welcome!" She says with a sly smirk.
Reyn trembles at the sight.
The room was beyond-beautifully decorated in a litany of colorful wallpapers and displays. Every article of clothing and personal item neatly packed and placed in their assigned spots. A quick peek into her bathroom as they pass almost blinds Reyn with its immaculate shine.
"Shit! Now you're letting me feel even worse. This place looks amazing. Do they even allow you to do this kinda thing?"
"Yeah, McCain said it's fine. She even helped me source some of this shit." Jocelyn responds proudly.
"Kinda jealous…" Reyn pouts.
"You're welcome to spend time here whenever you want."
"Uh… really?"
"Sure, just clean up after yourself. Here…" She reaches in her blazer pocket and hands Reyn a key to her room. "I'm serious! I'm breaking up with you if you mess up my stuff."
Reyn looks at Jocelyn with wide eyes and she laughs in response. She throws herself on him, forcing him to fall into her bed. The soft warm quilt flaps into the air around them as they hit the mattress. "Joze, this is…"
"Yep. Next steps, baby. You're down for that, right?"
"Y-Yes. Of course. Um… I've got an extra key…" He stutters as he tries to fiddle around his pants pockets, doing everything to keep his focus away from the physical sensation of Jocelyn's full weight pressing down on him.
"Relax, Mitchells. We're not gonna fuck... yet." Jocelyn says, biting her tongue at Reyn.
She jumps off of him in a single, swift movement.
"Want some coffee?" She asks with a snicker as she scrounges around in her wardrobe and quickly produces a portable coffee maker.
Reyn furrows his brow and scoffs as he sits up on the bed and dusts himself off. Half-smiling as he nods at Jocelyn.
"Sure. Extra strong."
Jocelyn chuckles.
"Oh, come on, that face of yours is just too cute when I tease you. I know you like it when I do it." She says as she blows him a kiss.
"I like everything you do to me, Jocelyn Webber." Reyn says with a smirk, digging his tongue into our cheek as he fights to maintain a natural rhythm and posture.
Jocelyn startles, almost dropping the coffee machine as she places it on her desk.
"Fuck off, Mitchells! Since when did you get so smooth?"
Reyn chuckles.
"That face of yours is just too cute when I tease you."
Jocelyn quickly twists around and folds her mouth into a smarmy smirk as she stares at Reyn sneering. She pounces, pinning him to the bed as they share a lengthy kiss. Reyn gasps for air as she lifts her head.
"You see, I miss this. We've both been so busy with training, and you with your secret rendezvous with Ravinok. I miss you. So I was hoping we could just talk for a bit."
"And kiss…" Reyn smirks.
Jocelyn jumps off him again, pouting as she moves back to preparing the coffee.
Reyn sighs.
"Talking sounds perfect. I'll go first. I want to fucking fight Lucien so bad! Argh! Ravinok still won't let me take part in the mock battles. It's driving me nuts."
Jocelyn pouts harder.
"Right, of course, fighting's the first thing he talks about."
"Oh, no, it's just… ugh, you don't understand. My aetherics. I just really wish I could finally show you, you know." Reyn laments, recounting the fact he had been unable to discuss the details of his ARCH-type under strict orders from the Director and Ravinok.
Jocelyn turns down her gaze, hiding her own guilt at the fact she had hidden the nature of her healing aetherics from Reyn as well. She too had been forbidden from discussing it, or using it in any capacity, unless expressly ordered by a relevant senior in the organization.
"It's fine, Reyn. Trust me, I get it."
"Sorry, let's change the subject. What's on your mind?" Reyn asks as he moves over to Jocelyn, helping her prepare the coffee.
The two go on to spend most of the day in casual conversation and deeper discussions on their pasts and futures. Reyn goes on to detail his early life growing up with a powerful archaner as a mother and the big impact it has had on his personal growth and goals of becoming a front-line archaner himself. Jocelyn digs into her own family and past and how the death of her father, by cancer, would shape her own personal growth and goals to become an aetheric healer.
A sneaky sojourn into the kitchen by Reyn would bring with it a bounty of stolen treats that he and Jocelyn enjoyed throughout their lengthy talk. Topics would eventually lead to discussions hinting at physical preferences and past erotic experiences.
Their discussion is cut short by a rapt knock at Jocelyn's door, much to her chagrin. She marches to the door fuming while Reyn catches his breath and rubs at his heart.
"Hi, Jocelyn." Chunmei answers with a warm smile as Jocelyn swings open her door. She is flanked by Lumari Kruger and Anna Bohani. "Are you still going with us to dinner tonight?"
"Oh, crap. I totally forgot. Um, actually I'm kinda busy, why don't…" Jocelyn is interrupted by Chunmei's eyes getting worryingly wider as she stares through the room door.
"Mitchells!?" Chunmei squeals aloud.
A moment later, Reyn sprints towards the door and slips past Jocelyn while effortlessly landing a kiss on her cheek.
"It's ok, Joze, I gotta go anyway. Lunch is on me tomorrow. See ya." He yells out as he sprints down the hallway barely giving Jocelyn time to react while the women snicker around her.
He turns the corner and immediately stops to grab at his knees as he catches his breath. The long conversations with Jocelyn proved to be a monumental challenge to his self-control and mental conditioning.
He chuckles to himself as he slowly walks off toward the dorm exit, but a swift pitter-patter of tip-toeing footsteps sneaks up behind him and a delicate, but firm hand furiously wraps his buttocks. He yelps as he hops into the air.
"Coward! We're gonna finish that talk!" Jocelyn scowls as he turns to face his assaulter.
"Joze, I didn't mean to bail. You're friends…" Reyn tries to respond.
"Whatever, Mitchells. See you for lunch tomorrow."
She grabs Reyn's face with both hands and pulls it down to hers, smearing her lips across his before slipping him her tongue. A few seconds of oral interaction later and Jocelyn unplugs her face from his with an audible plop. She wipes her mouth and brazenly strolls off back to her room as a trio of sneaking women peak from beyond a corner.
Reyn fights too many urges to consider and simply lurks off, out of the dorm, his lips flaming as its nerve endings dance in glorious celebration. It would be 40 minutes of aimless wandering later that Reyn found himself sitting on a bench somewhere on the northern end of the compound. A soft snow was falling around him as the last flickers of a late-winter storm passed over the mountains. The white patches lining all areas of the facility sparkle like flickering embers under the setting evening sun.
He thinks about his conversations with Jocelyn. Not its contents but the mere act of conversing with her privately and intimately, watching her act out little scenes with her hands and eyes, the little expressions she makes with her face when she's thinking of something unsavory, and the unwavering kindness and care that drown him with raw emotions every time he's fortunate enough to spend a moment staring at her eyes.
He was clearly falling in love, he contends, fully content with the thought. He sinks deeper into the bench, bending his neck back to catch the snowflakes on his face. Each one feels like nature's motherly kiss on his skin, reminding him his life was actually quite good.
A sudden rumble in his pants breaks him out of his meditative state, and he reaches in his pocket for his phone.
"Meet me at my personal lab, Mitchells. It is time!" The message reads from Ravinok.
Reyn's eyes stretch as he scrolls his phone. He quickly jumps to his feet and breaks out into a sprint, running across the compound, almost slipping multiple times as he streaks across iced roads and pavements. He reaches the entrance to the science and research wing of the HQ, relaying Ravinok's instructions to a guard at the entrance.
Reyn is quickly led through a side entrance and down multiple sets of black-light stairs and hallways. Eventually reaching the personal office and lab of Doctor Ravinok, six floors below the ground.
He approaches the door of Ravinok's office, the room's windows have been digitally turned opaque, disallowing him from seeing its contents. He knocks and is immediately greeted by panicked yelling.
"Argh! Help, it's choking me! Help!"
Reyn bursts through the door to see Ravinok splayed out on a couch in his underwear, wrestling with some kind of suit half-covering his body.
"Quickly, Mitchells! I can't breathe! Pull it off!" The doctor shouts.
Reyn quickly grabs a sleeve of the outfit and pulls with all his strength. It slowly peels off Ravinok's body, slurping up clumps of dry skin and sweat as it rolls through layers of fat. It slumps to the floor in a mound of moist materials after snapping off Ravinok's head, hitting Reyn in the face.
"Argh! That was… oh, my pants!" Ravinok quickly disappears, he reappears a few moments later wearing his usual lab-coat, nondescript pants and pastel-colored button-up shirt.
"Apologies, Mitchells. My old combat suit. I was trying to fit it on, for nostalgic reasons, you know. What an embarrassing failure that turned out to be. I trust this will remain between us men."
"You have my word, sir." Reyn nods with a half-hidden snicker.
Ravinok smiles at his feigned seriousness.
"Ha! Funny, yes. You laugh at this old man. Perhaps not so funny tomorrow, when I laugh as you get pounded in your battles, ha? I'm sure your fellow graduates have been waiting eagerly to see you finally fight. I know for sure Rick Justice eagerly awaits his rematch…"
Reyn flicks his head toward Ravinok, his face in astonishment as he considers the doctor's words.
"Excuse me, sir?"
"Yes, Mitchells. You heard me correctly. Tomorrow, as a demonstration of your tremendous effort and dedication to the program, we will have your first public fight. It's time for the rest of the organization to see what our hard work has accomplished."
Reyn's face lights up with a profound exhilaration and contentment as the doctor discusses their plans and past tribulations.
Ravinok explains he's deeply held pride in Reyn's growing understanding of his ARCH-type. The physical and mental sacrifices he has had to endure as part of the doctor's program to understand his aetherics and weeks spent pushing his body and abilities to the limit, breaking him and his mind in more ways than he cares to remember.
But each trial and obstacle helped solidify his skills and abilities while proving his unwavering loyalty to the organization.
"Remember, Mitchells. We do this only because you have proven your dedication and loyalty. Maintain this, and you may well become humanity's greatest weapon. You will build a legacy that would have made Lunara more proud of you than she ever thought possible. So stand proud Mitchells, stand strong and true. For tomorrow, the world will see the birth of a new form of power."
Reyn's honest smile turns to a confident grin as new ideas and possibilities wrap his mind, but the doctor quickly snaps him out of his delusions of grandeur and the two spend the rest of the evening revising the learnings of his ARCH-type and reviewing the combat playbook they have prepared.