Sklyer was excluded from training for three days. In addition, Rhett didn't receive any news from the board. It was the start of a good day, or maybe not completely. The hunter still had to face Ash alone, the thought of it made him feel uncomfortable, he still couldn't figure out the teenage girl. Her blond friend was easier to predict: he was impulsive, didn't like to submit to authority and was protective of Ash. As for the latter, she was seemingly discreet and shy, but he couldn't forget how she easily beat several students the first day he met her, nor how she had looked at him: with the eyes of a predator.

Still he felt lighter as he walked down the now usual path leading to their cell-classroom. His mood was subtly shaken when he saw the murderous expression that wore his student. Maybe he should have let the boy assist with the lesson after all.

Ash was sitting on Skyler's desk, her feet on her table and glared at him with fierce eyes. She obviously didn't appreciate the way he left her alone in the gymnasium and punished the blond teenager.

"Do you really want to be punished like Skyler?" he asked with an acid tone, taking place on his seat. "We haven't even started the class yet."

The girl raised her hands without departing from her dark expression.

"We can not have class, when one student is not here," she signed.

"He made a choice, now he has to assume its consequences," he replied, narrowing his eye.

He then remembered what he had decided the night before. Forging an apparent relation of trust with his student. He took a breath and tried to soothe his voice.

"But don't worry he will join us soon. I am willing to lift his punishment if he behaves properly."

He saw one of her eyebrows lift under her heavy bangs. Her dubious look wasn't encouraging, but still she seemed to relax a bit.

"Did you receive the books I sent you?" he asked, taking out his notepad.

She nodded and proceeded to write down a bunch of characters forming the basic formulas of politeness.

'Ah, so she did more than just read the manuals.'

"That is good, but can you pronounce those words correctly?" he attempted.

As expected, the girl froze. She slowly lifted her eyes to meet his.

"What did you not understand when I told you I did not speak?" she signed slowly.

"I understood the part when you confirmed you could speak," he replied, trying to keep his face as calm as he could.

Without the boy around, Ash was a different person. She didn't hesitate to protest or to border with insolence. But maybe this was who she really was, or used to be after her accident.

She stayed silent, her shoulders slightly shaking. Of rage? She grabbed her board and wrote quickly. When she finished, the tip of her pen was flattened.

"I thought you would understand me better than him."

It took him a second for him to understand the 'him' meant Skyler.

"After all," she completed with assured movements, "you do the same as me. You hide."

She then covered her right eyes, and waited for his response.

"You are right," he admitted. "I am hiding my eye, but it doesn't mean that I am ashamed of my entire being, unlike you."

As soon as he finished his sentence he immediately regretted it. The teenager's face was drained from all color as she stared blankly in front of her.

"I," she started with trembling hands, "am not..."

She dropped her hands, unable to finish. With her chin lowered, Rhett couldn't see the expression that wore the girl. The two of them stayed silent for a long moment.

"Look, I don't want to meddle in what doesn't concern me," he started. "But as your mentor it is my duty to make sure that the two of you live up to your full potential. You are an intelligent and strong girl, but this means nothing if you aren't willing to listen to me."

He made a small pause, the part that followed was harder to say.

"I am aware I did something wrong when I left you alone in the gymnasium. You hadn't done anything wrong. Skyler's actions aren't yours. I just need to understand both of you to be able to teach you properly. You may think I want you to fail, but I only wish for your success," he said, trying to re-use the words Alexai said the day before.

"We are careful," she responded. "We are new to this."

She took her board and continued with, "One day we were regular kids, one day we've lost everything. We've been thrown into a world that we don't understand, with people who look at us like we are lesser."

"How could you possibly think they," he interrupted himself, finally understanding, "How could you possibly think we look at you like you are lesser?" he interrupted him.

He felt like he had reached an important point. A point that would reveal more about them. If only he could understand why they were so suspicious and defiant of him, then he could make them trust him. But Ash didn't seem to want to linger on the subject as she took out a couple of papers from her pocket.

"I trained last night," she signed. "Can you check if it is correct?"

Her defiant attitude had disappeared, just like the light igniting her eyes. He opened his mouth to ask her another question before backing up.

'Trust takes time,' he reminded himself while taking the scribbled sheets.

"Let me see," he mumbled.

°°°

Two days and a half have passed since Skyler's exclusion. And yet, it felt like nothing had changed. Skyler had refused to take part in the lessons until his punishment was officially finished despite the Jaeger's authorization. Rhett had tried to be as open and calm as he could, but Ash seemed like covered by a thick metal armor refusing to talk about anything personal.

It wasn't until lunch time that they reached a turning point.

"I didn't see you walking in the cafeteria's direction yesterday," the hunter said to the girl.

She avoided his eyes and quickly wrote on her white board:

"I do not eat with others."

'Oh, I should have guessed,' he thought to himself.

"Then when do you eat?" he frowned.

"When the others are leaving I quickly grab something to eat, and I eat in the toilets."

Rhett stayed silent, unsure what to respond to her. In normal circumstances he would ask her if she was bullied or would encourage her to eat with Skyler. But he quietly understood why she did it. He too had lived a similar experience after his accident.

He looked at her sickly appearance. He closed his eye.

'This is my chance.'

And he spoke quickly without leaving himself the time to change his mind, "Well I can bring you with me in the hunter's cafeteria and we can come back and eat here."

Ash had a small start and lifted her bewildered misty eyes on him.

'Dammit,' he cursed himself. 'Of course she would never accept. It was even stupid to even have the thought in the first place.'

But to his surprise she slowly nodded.

"Y-You are sure?" he asked, unsure if he had seen properly.

"Why not?" she shrugged with a false desinvolture.

The two of them exited the cell-classroom in an awkward silence walking in a line despite the hallways being almost empty. On the way, no one bothered to give them more than a dark look. Apparently the recent events had circulated among the base, leaving quite a reputation about them. No one wanted to do anything that would cause the anger of the most detestable Jaeger and his violent charge.

After what seemed a long time, they both found themselves in front of the cafeteria door. Rhett stayed still in front of the door. He usually didn't eat during lunch, and after what happened in the common room, he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to attempt another try, but he and Ash were already here. Going back would be too awkward and he had just finally been able to get slightly closer to the girl. A bit more and he would know everything he needed to.

"Follow me," he quickly ordered her.

Even though she appeared calm, he could guess the sweat of panic running down the bridge of her nose--or at least it's beginning. He was never sure because of her mask. But when she entered besides him, he saw her hand quivering. She was as uncomfortable as he was. Somewhat, this thought comforted him.

As expected, their quiet entrance attracted a great deal of attraction as they walked quickly toward the buffet. Rhett grabbed a tray and threw whatever fell in his hand. The teenager nervously took a plate of pasta, her eyes running wildly around the room.

"Excuse me," said a man wearing a white uniform. It was a division X student as his purple and white band indicated. "Students aren't allowed to come here."

His voice was gentle without any traces of aggressiveness, he even gave her a smile. Still, Ash tensed up.

"She is with me," interrupted the Jaeger. "She is my student."

The boy's face paled as he saw him, "Oh, of course I am sorry! Have a great meal."

He did a slight bow, not without taking a last look at the Ash. Around them, the other hunters observed them with an unhidden curiosity.

"Are you finished?" he asked his charge, ignoring them.

She nodded, her fingers tightly closed around the plate.

"Good, then let's go."

They exited as quickly as they came, but Rhett still felt the heavy stares following them.

'At least they weren't hostile.'

It was a good start.

When they went back to their classroom, Ash took Skyler's chair and turned it around. She slowly took off her mask before putting it beside her. Just before her hair fell back on her shoulder, he caught a glimpse of cold grey metal covering the beginning of her jaw. She wasn't going to eat without her bare face in front of him. The hunter didn't say anything.

'What matters is that we finally made the first step.'

Whether she was comfortable showing her face or not wasn't his concern. What troubled him was...

"What is your relationship with Skyler?"

Her back tensed before relaxing almost immediately. She put down her fork and carefully repositioned her mask. She then turned around to face him properly, her board laying on her lap.

"I guessed that you were going to ask that question," she simply stated. "You want to know more about us, right?"

'She is quicker than I thought.'

"I want to understand you," he replied.

She slowly nodded, "Can I trust you?" she asked with careful movements.

The word trust made his stomach tighten.

'Finally, we are here.'

"You can."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"You know that we grew up in a small town. Skyler was different, and people there did not like different."

"You mean he was bullied?"

"Us two," she precised, "because of our eyes. But also because he looked like a girl. We became best friends as soon as he came. We were eleven."

Even if half of her face was covered, he could guess the hint of a smile at the last bit.

"I knew how to defend myself," she continued with assurance. "I taught him to fight, but he was scared. So I defended him. I always did."

She took a small pause. Rhett thought she was over but she raised her hands once again and continued her story. Gesture after gesture in slow movements as if she was relieving the memories.

"When that...thing," she signed, troubling with the word Infected, "showed up. I did it. I protected him."

"Did..."

"Do not interrupt me!" she gestured.

Her breath was quick and loud, for a moment he feared she would abandon her story.

"Because of that, I lost my face and my voice. Skyler feels so guilty, it eats him alive, so he decided to protect me. But even if I say I do not, the truth is that..."

She pushed her chair, unable to continue she wrote down the last part.

"I do blame him."

The words felt like a stab in his chest. Even though he finally learnt what he desired, he felt no satisfaction. Only a strange wave of sadness. Small hiccups broke his silent contemplation. Rhett lifted his head to discover a crying Ash. Her eyes rimmed with a thin line of red, tears were running down her bare skin before dripping down her metal mask.

"I...," started the Jaeger before closing his mouth.

What could he possibly say to her? Instead he went beside her and turned his head toward the wall. She accepted his silent proposition, and released her cries. It wasn't quiet sobs. It was loud screams of anger, sadness but also grievance. She unleashed her contained rage and sorrows until, slowly, she ran out of tears. She snorted, wiping her bangs away from her drenched cheeks.

"The lunch is cold now," she signed.

The hunter threw a look at their half-eaten plates.

"Don't worry, I can ask them to bring a microwave in here," he said trying to figure how he could have his request granted.

For nothing in the world he wanted to walk back to the cafeteria, even though it was probably empty at this hour.

Ash let out a silent scoff.

'What time is it either way?'

He checked his watch, "Well I will see that later. You are free to go back to the mentees quarters."

The girl nodded before grabbing her survival manual and her board.

"I will see you tomorrow with Skyler," she gestured.

"Oh, yes that's right," he sighed. "Tell him to behave properly."

At that she didn't respond, but as she exited from the classroom, he could have sworn the mist surrounding her eyes had disappeared.