~Alina Nightlark~

The sky was cloudier than normal that morning, a soft blanket of white spreading out around the city for miles in every direction. If it weren't for the clear glass domes that covered Vivifica to protect it from the elements, visibility would have been reduced to nil. Even so, it was impossible to see anything outside of the domes.

"This is so exciting!" Azylia rubbed her hands together in anticipation as she gazed across the crowded shuttle tarmac. Although she'd always cut a noticeable figure, the bright orange and dark grey garments she wore now made her even harder to miss. "I can't wait to go kill some monsties!"

Alina grinned at her infectious energy, her own hands drifting down to finger the hem of her new tunic. The royal blue fabric was heavily embroidered with black designs of vaguely animalistic shapes that resembled shadows when seen from the right angles. Armored plates made from some sort of jet-black metal covered her shoulders and supported her spine, leaving her free to move as she wished while still providing decent protection.

"The cameras are a little creepy, though." Ebony shivered slightly, her green eyes darting around the tarmac as if she could feel them watching her. Alina spared a moment to study their surroundings, having not noticed they were being monitored. "They've been following us all morning."

"Have they?" Azylia spun on her heel to search the tarmac, then abruptly waved both hands in the air when she spotted a camera hovering nearby. "Hello, adoring fans!"

Alina rolled her eyes at Azylia's antics, though she couldn't suppress another grin, especially once Chrysanthemum joined in. Despite being one of the older Hunters, Chrys still acted more like a young child than the rest of them. She had a stocky figure similar to Azylia's, but that was where the similarities ended. Her hair was white instead of ebony, and her eyes were a mellower green shade instead of the glaring orange gaze Azylia wielded. Stranger still, a large green vine curled around her torso, making it seem like Chrysanthemum was wearing a viridescent bandolier.

"Well, they did warn us about this." Alina shot Ebony a reassuring smile, though the winged girl didn't seem to notice it. "The price of stardom, I suppose. You'll get used to it."

"Get used to it? You say that like the cameras are a bad thing. If I were you, I'd be happy to have so many angles to capture my beauty."

Alina started at Rowan Flametongue's voice, silently cursing herself for not noticing his approach earlier. If she was this distracted while hunting monsters, they'd make quick work of her for sure. She glanced over to see him grinning at her from a few feet with his arms folded over his chest in a decidedly self-satisfied way, dark auburn hair pulled back in its usual ponytail.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, Rowan," she told him, her hands immediately straying to her hips. One of her palms rested against the hilt of her short sword for emphasis. "When it comes to becoming the best Hunter, I'll always kick your-"

"It hasn't even been a full day, and yet you're already snarling at each other like rabid dogs." A boy with seriously creepy golden eyes scowled in their direction from where he leaned against a stack of unmarked wooden crates. Alina had seen him around the facility before and knew he was a Hunter, but couldn't seem to recall his name. "Spare the rest of us your posturing, please. I've had more than my fill of idiots pretending they're worth something."

She eyed him with amusement, wondering what he hoped to accomplish by insulting them. It would take more than words to get under her skin, though perhaps she could arrange some form of payback later just for the kick of it. Rowan didn't seem especially concerned either,  though he never appeared to take anything seriously and this probably wasn't an exception.

"Stop it!" If looks could kill, Azylia would have struck the boy dead. Alina blinked, surprised by her indignant tone. Generally speaking, Azylia tended to treat everyone like they were her best friend, not caring whether they actually were or not. Getting angry at anyone wasn't something she did often. "If you have nothing nice to say, don't talk at all!"

"Fine by me. So long as I don't  have to deal with your incessant yammering." The boy sent a parting glare their way, then stalked off and disappeared behind another group of Hunters.

"Well he's pleasant," Rowan said sarcastically, a smirk playing across his face. 

Azylia shot him a comically outraged look. "That was definitely not pleasant! If he ever says anything like that to any of my friends again, he'll get to see the business end of one of my fireballs!" As if to illustrate her point, her hands burst into flame, sending out a ripple of searing heat. Ebony and Chrysanthemum immediately retreated several steps, wary of the fire.

"Aw, am I one of your friends now?" Rowan grinned lopsidedly at Azylia, a mocking gleam flickering in his eyes to match the childish tone he'd adopted. He knew as well as Alina did that the fiery girl wouldn't realize she was being made fun of.

"No, you're not," Alina snapped. If he thought he could get away with mocking one of her friends, even if that friend didn't necessarily know they were being mocked, he was dead wrong. She'd have to plan a creative form of revenge for later. "Either you leave now, or Azylia will set your tongue on fire to match your surname."

"I think you're just jealous. I'd be an awesome friend." Before she could reply, Rowan slipped off into the crowd of Hunters, disappearing from sight. Alina sighed, a bit of the tension leaving her frame the moment he was gone.

"Why would I set his tongue on fire?" Azylia seemed genuinely confused. The flames on her hands winked out of existence, making the temperature around them drop perceptibly.

"I just said that to make him leave," Alina replied. "He-"

"Do you hear that?" Ebony cocked her head to the side, her brow furrowed as if she were listening hard. Alina quieted, and could suddenly make out a faint rumbling that was steadily growing louder.

"The shuttle's here!" Chrysanthemum pointed upward, her vine tangled around her arm like a leafy bracer. Sure enough, a dark shape was rapidly approaching from the opposite side of the city and Hunters all around them were clearing off of the tarmac.

"Let's get out of the way before we're squished." Alina led her little group to the side, out of the shuttle's way. They stopped near another stack of crates, followed closely by a pair of cameras that she tried to ignore. Two other Hunters, Gwendolyn and Faye, already stood there, both watching the giant craft as it landed.

"Hullo." Gwendolyn offered them a small wave, her pale skin flushed with excitement. "It's amazing, isn't it? The engineering alone...."

Alina chuckled at Gwen's fascination with the shuttle. Of course someone with the power over machines would be transfixed by that. "I'm more interested in where it's going to be taking us, personally."

"Me too!" Azylia added. "To the monsters! So we can kill them all!"

Faye winced at her words, though it was impossible to tell whether it was because of what Azylia had actually said or simply how loud she'd said it. Her pink gaze remained maddeningly distant, like a sleepwalker's. Alina knew better than to try and talk to them when they were like that.

"Time to go!" Chrysanthemum bounded away to where a ramp was descending from the shuttle. A door hissed open in the metal plating of the body, and Hunters began to stream inside. Azylia and Gwendolyn were quickly whisked away by the human tide, but Alina paused to hook Ebony's arm in her own before pulling the other girl along.

"To adventure!" she exclaimed, a fierce gleam of anticipation alight in her gaze.