Horizon Demon Hunter Academy (IC)

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They had gone past simple jabs and counters long ago; now the pair was scraping any potential advantage together they could see. Saria's leap off the tree was a good example, the girl taking three steps up before pushing off and cartwheeling over Isaac's head. He would have loved to press in on her while she was airborne, but her hands offered no space for his own to get through. The young man had to instead through himself into a back handspring, bringing his feet swinging up powerfully to reach the girl overhead. She caught his lead foot and pushed off of it, taking its momentum for herself to land with some space between the two.

A pair of first-years clapped at the display. Their exploration had brought them to the practice area, only to find the two third-years already sparring. They'd begun with simple steps: thrust, sidestep, counter; block, kick, block; duck, sweep, retreat; and so on. Even as first year students lacking in experience, something about the match had drawn these two in and made them unable to avert their gaze. It was a dance, intricate and beautiful, and the dance partners couldn't have been better matched.

What they hadn't realized yet was what the game was. Isaac couldn't blame them for that; to anyone who wasn't familiar, it would just look like sparring. But this was even more intense than that: this was Death Touch. Isaac had thought it up near the end of their first year, weary of the same sparring matches all the time. The new rule was simple: first one to touch the other person's head or torso won. They'd been at it for twenty minutes now and neither side had scored higher than the elbow.

Saria pressed in again, lunging forward with a strong burst. She cut her momentum and feinted right, then stepped left and lifted her right leg in a diagonal kick. Isaac had seen through her first bluff easily, then had stepped into her when she began moving to his left. Her sudden reversal forced him to the right, diving aside as her leg missed him by centimeters. He pushed his left foot forward as he hit the ground, snagging the ankle of Saria's planted foot. The pull jerked her off balance, but even as she fell her hands came down to catch her, her legs swung over her body, and she landed upright. Isaac kicked himself up to his feet and the pair faced off once again.

More applause came from the onlookers, along with a low "Woooow." Isaac and Saria locked eyes, and an unspoken agreement was settled upon. Both relaxed and straightened up, turning to face the new students.

"Welcome to Horizon. You are Gaia, from the look of you?" Saria asked the pair. They nodded in stunned silence. "I see. Train hard, study harder, and remember that technique is more important than power. Are you here to begin practicing?"

"Don't scare them, Saria. Not everyone is like you and Davin. Welcome to Horizon, you two. I'm Isaac--third year Gaia. Do bear Saria's advice in mind, but you'd be better off meeting your classmates right now than practicing unsupervised. The mess hall is back that way if you haven't eaten yet; sharing a meal is a good way to meet friends."

Even as Isaac pointed the way, a familiar face came down the path: Irrius, their senior by a year and somebody Saria wasn't particularly fond of. She didn't like his attitude: a student should be humble, but he never showed signs of having even a dab of humility. Isaac could mostly agree with that, but he felt that most angels had a superiority complex--Saria included--so he was as cordial as he ever was.

Isaac called out to the angel as the two first-years ran off. "Hail! Did you find a protege in the new batch?"
 
Frey was this close to catching Ariel off-guard and getting his headphones under her nose, but she was faster. He proceeded to pick up the speed and chase her down, until he saw her creating a mirror image out of thin air. It wasn't clear to him who the real Ariel was, nor which one had the headphones. He shot a few force bullets with the snare drum he conjured up, but both Ariels easily dodged it. The annoying little brat's so small she's hard to aim at. Just like an annoying housefly...
He decided to follow the one going towards a cluster of trees. He knew that if he messes up he'll need to find the other one, who'll most likely try to find another hiding spot. At the very least, they were away from the students. Save for a few who most likely didn't care, none of this news would spread to anyone. He slowed down a bit before finally landing perfectly on his feet, then hid his wings.

"..." he looked around for a bit in silence, until finally speaking up. "I hope you're happy, Ariel. Fine, I'll play your little game for a while, but only because you have my headphones with you. You better have something else for me as a reward when I win!"

Frey looked around some more. He's bad at these sort of games. In fact, he's bad at anything that doesn't have anything to do with music. But it's because of his music that he's driven to win this game at any cost.
He was about to use his wings again to get a bird's eye view of the area, until he figured he didn't need it anymore when he found a feather lying on the ground near a tree. The feather seemed to lead inside a hollow tree, where the imp was most likely hiding.

"Hmm... I wonder where Ariel could be... " Frey said mockingly. "Wellp, maybe I should just give up and go on with my life. After all, Ariel's so horrible she'd leave a fellow Angel unarmed and defenseless like this..." He snuck up near the tree... before finally realizing that this Ariel hid herself so carelessly because the other one had the headphones. It's a trap, idiot.
Well, he still proceeded to look inside the tree. Sure enough, Ariel was there... albeit without the headphones. He took her by the shirt, she was unsurprisingly light.

"Dammit, Ariel! Stop this! I'm sick and tired of your games! Go play with someone who wants to play with you!"
 
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Davin didn't really know what to make of the tamed demon, so for now he decided to reserve judgement. He took a seat and looked to Sheridan, keeping Coal in his peripheral vision out of sheer habit. He accepted a cup and drank it black. He didn't usually drink coffee, since he didn't really need the caffeine boost, but it tasted good. He glanced at Coal from time to time without turning his head, but focused on Sheridan. "Thank you. It's good." He paused, already feeling anxiety making him bounce one leg, and distracted himself by asking, "How much do you know about the Academy and what training here entails?"

He really hoped the first mission of the year would hurry up and get here. He looked forward to the kind of missions a third year went on, thinking back on the leap in mission danger and responsibilities that he had to handle on his second year, compared to his first. The Academy had a rather interesting way of deploying the different classes, taking advantage of every student's individual skills. They had to, with the demons outnumbering the Hunters more often than not, or else they would suffer horrendous casualties. Sometimes they still did.
 
"Just some rumors. Like is it true that they just send us down to kill demons first of all? They just send us down as the first thing we do?" she asked with a curious look.
 
Ariel
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"Heeeeeey Frey!" Ariel sat in the tree curled up. She found it funny he decided to come after her first. Who did he take her for? Sure she was lazy, and annoying him, and never really paid much attention, and... Let's just stop there. Ariel stood up, and jumped from her spot, landing gracefully on the ground. "Welp, now that you found me first, its a game of hot and cold." She flew up in the air again. "But I will say this: If you stay down there any longer you're going to freeze to death! So. Shall we be off?"

Yosuke
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"Well, we meet at last, it seems" Yosuke really didn't know what to say. Really everything in his mind was telling him to leave now before he did anything that would give her the wrong idea. "Well, if you don't mind at all... Perhaps we could meet a little more?... N-Not like I'm asking you out on a date... Course now it sounds like I was hoping you would think of it as one..." Perhaps Yosuke's main difficulty with girls is that he over thinks it, and tends to heavily infer that they assumed he was implying things. His poor choice of words is not the only culprit it seems.
 
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St O'possum said:
Ariel
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"Heeeeeey Frey!" Ariel sat in the tree curled up. She found it funny he decided to come after her first. Who did he take her for? Sure she was lazy, and annoying him, and never really paid much attention, and... Let's just stop there. Ariel stood up, and jumped from her spot, landing gracefully on the ground. "Welp, now that you found me first, its a game of hot and cold." She flew up in the air again. "But I will say this: If you stay down there any longer you're going to freeze to death! So. Shall we be off?"

Yosuke
​
"Well, we meet at last, it seems" Yosuke really didn't know what to say. Really everything in his mind was telling him to leave now before he did anything that would give her the wrong idea. "Well, if you don't mind at all... Perhaps we could meet a little more?... N-Not like I'm asking you out on a date... Course now it sounds like I was hoping you would think of it as one..." Perhaps Yosuke's main difficulty with girls is that he over thinks it, and tends to heavily infer that they assumed he was implying things. His poor choice of words is not the only culprit it seems.
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Kia shrugged "sure I guess, but ya better make me laugh again the next time I see you" she definitely found this guy interesting. An outcast much like herself. Even though he was a year above him. She felt like he and her would get along well, specially how funny he could be unintentionally.
 
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"Well, something like that I guess," He replied and set his mug down, cupping it between his hands. The warmth of the hot drink seeped into his fingers and helped him relax more, in spite of his discomfort brought by Coal. "The truth of it is a little more complicated. Just sending out first years by themselves would mean a lot of them getting killed. There will be faculty members present to minimize risks. Sometimes they take upperclassmen that were found suitable for leadership roles."

"The purpose of the first mission, I think, is to provide you with some experience, but it's also for those humans that have no demons, or only one, that might want to tame one." He glanced at Coal and added, "But it seems you won't need to worry about that. You just need to focus on learning the protocols involved and learning to work with a team."
 
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"Ugh I hate working with more than one or two others." she said groaning
 
Davin smiled and said, "Some missions might only have you working with a small team like that. But usually you're working with a squad or platoon-sized group. Just be glad you won't have to worry about large-scale battles."

"But teamwork is important," He added with a serious expression. "Demons will outnumber you in pretty much every scenario. If you get caught out by yourself, you won't last long. Demon allies or not." Davin added a friendlier smile, "Don't be afraid to ask for help."
 
She grumbled under her breath and huffed.

Coal snickered at her reaction.

Sheridan shot him an annoyed look before reaching over and slapping him on the back of the head,causing him to burst out laughing.
 
Irrius blinks as he comes off autopilot, looking to the two as one of them calls out to him. He shakes his head, giving a small smile "No, none of them really caught my attention. Not that I was paying to much attention to them, though." His response is innocent enough, the lack of arrogance noticeable to anyone who knew him well. He looks around, before saying "Wasn't expecting an audience when I planned to train." Those words themselves are shocking coming from him, as he's the kind of person who refuses to practice on order to continue to spend time with friends.

Making his way toward another part of the training ground, he pulled his spear from its sling and stood in silence for a moment, hands clenched around the bone haft. Finally, utilizing part of his power, he manifested a false demon created of pure light. Glaring enough that fine details were indecipherable for anyone who is bothered by the light at all, the demon launches itself at Irrius as he shifts his foot back, and the spar begins.
 
Sheridan said:
She grumbled under her breath and huffed.

Coal snickered at her reaction.

Sheridan shot him an annoyed look before reaching over and slapping him on the back of the head,causing him to burst out laughing.
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Davin watched their antics not sure how to react. Sure, he saw tamed demons a lot during his time here, but he never really interacted with them if he could help it. He mostly limited it to missions and training. So he could only respond with a blank stare as Sheridan scolded Coal for laughing at her. He stayed relatively quiet when they talked and finished his coffee, wondering if he should suggest they go and spar like he suggested.
 
"Of course he wasn't paying them attention," Saria muttered under her breath. The great Irrius couldn't be bothered with little Freshies.

"How about you? Have you found someone you'd be interested in mentoring?" Isaac asked as he turned to face her. The grin on his face made it clear that, even if he hadn't heard her, Isaac knew what Saria was thinking.

The angel's cheeks tinged red. "Not yet. But that's just because I was here training with you!" She turned away, choosing to watch Irrius for a few moments instead of meeting Isaac's eyes. She hadn't paid much attention to the first-years that morning because she'd spent the assembly mentally planning her schedule. There was absolutely no way she could admit that, though.

"You've moved into a group apartment this year, right? Have you met either of your roommates yet?" Isaac could see her discomfort, so he was kind enough to change the subject.

"No. I don't even know if both the other rooms are filled." Saria still hadn't turned back, continuing to watch her senior's match. He had to control the demon himself, so she thought it something of a waste for training purposes. It would help keep his muscles in shape, but knowing what your opponent would do before he did it took away both the mental battle and the reflex training.

"Well, maybe there will be a first-year that will need your help. You finished moving in?"

"Before the ceremony."

"Then you should go check if you have any roommates yet."

Saria thought it over for a minute. Then she turned back to the human and shook her head. "If they exist, I'll see them tonight. I'm thirsty."

Isaac nodded in understanding. She didn't mean she wanted water--there were fountains in the practice area for that--but that she wanted to leave and find something else to drink. Milk, by his guess. Isaac gave Irrius a wave as they left, but he was pretty invested in his sparring session. Saria and Isaac walked down a different path, heading for the Irofiin Building; though the cafeteria would be mostly empty by now, Isaac preferred the machines in the class buildings anyway.

The two didn't link hands as they walked, nor did they press against each other. There was a foot of distance between them, conceivably enough of a gap for another student to skim through. Nobody did, though; even when half a dozen first-years passed by, the entire group shifted to the side--two of them pushed off the paved walkway--rather than come between the pair. They probably weren't even aware of it themselves, but a small part of their psyche seemed to say 'don't get between those two.'
 
Sheridan picked up her cup of coffee again only to yelp in pain and drop it as it burnt her hand. She then whirled around in her seat to see Coal's sister laughing her butt off. "Dammit Sarah!" Sheridan said as she stood and glared at her. "Not funny!"

Coal groaned and stood,walking over to his sister and slapping her on the back of the head to stop her laughing.
 
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Frey had an annoyed expression on his face. He had never been so pissed off with anyone else besides Ariel. She's a natural at pissing people of, she's so good at it that it made Frey, who's usually so calm and serene, freak out and chase her like crazy. He wants nothing more to do with her, but this little game is almost done. He needs to put up with it for just a bit longer so he can finally retrieve his beloved headphones. He heaved a heavy sigh and flew along with her.

"...Fine. Just remember that games that drag on will become boring. You wouldn't want that, would you? Especially considering I'm bad at these... games..."
 
Davin caught the mug before it could hit the ground and maneuvered it so the liquid didn't spill. He glared along with Sheridan at the second demon that appeared and snapped, "Hurting someone isn't funny, demon." He resisted the urge to add, "But then, that's what you demons do, isn't it?"

Instead, he set the mug down and stood up, staring down smaller demon, and asked Sheridan, "Is she always like this?"
 
"We don't get along." Both women said at once without taking their eyes off eachother. And there was a simple reason as to why they didn't,they reminded eachother too much of themselves.

"Okay we do not need a cat fight with an angel in the room." Coal said as he stood between the women,blocking them from reaching eachother.
 
It didn't him long to comprehend the nature of the two girls' contention. "That does not excuse abusing your power to hurt Sheridan, demon," Davin snapped. "Behavior like this will not be tolerated at the Academy. Unruly demons are harshly disciplined, and I assure you, you do not wish to experience it." Coal's intervention made him raise his brow. "Your counterpart, at least, shows more restraint than you. What is your name? "
 
"I'm Sarah." She said,not seeming even the slightest bit hostile towards him though every time her eyes drifted onto Sheridan she got a glare on her face.

"Sorry about her,the girls don't really get along." Coal said to the angel.

Sheridan grumbled and crossed her arms over her chest as she looked away.
 
Davin sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. It would seem Sarah was going to be a problem. He turned to Coal and murmured, "So I can see..." After seeing the display Sarah put on, Davin felt much more accepting of Coal, who seemed well-behaved compared to his sister. So far, at any rate. He couldn't know for sure until he had more time to study him. But he could see Sarah driving poor Sheridan mad with their constant fighting, so maybe it would be best if he kept an eye on them. Even if they were from different houses, he had a good feeling about Sheridan's abilities, and she seemed nice enough.

For now, though, he needed to see to his own dwelling. As a returning student, much of his belongings were already stowed away, but he did have some things he needed to unpack and put away. So he turned to Sheridan and said with a bow, "Thank you for the coffee. I must be off, but be sure to find me if you need help. That sparring and training offer still stands." He gave Sarah a pointed look and added, "Try to behave, Sarah. If not for Sheridan's, then for your own sake."
 
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