Elma ran her fingers through her newly cropped hair, felt the wind against her neck. It was...different. Her head felt lighter than it ever had, she used her free hand to shield her eyes from the sun. She liked it. "You ready, El--whoa." Tyhlan ran over to Elma, grabbed her head. "Ow! What are you doing?" "Wh--what happened? Your hair was so pretty!" "Captain Lucil said..." "She said some, not all of it! Geez!" Tyhlan released her grip on Elma and proceeded to pout. Elma shook her head. "Honestly, I'm not bald. I like it like this, actually." Tyhlan scoffed. "Well, I guess if you like it, I can't be that mad. It is your hair..." "How kind of you," Elma quipped. "Now, let's go." --------------- Clasko's excitable chatter was giving Elma a headache. She liked the guy, really, but he wouldn't stop talking about the chocobos. She tuned him out and kept her eyes ahead as they walked toward the stables, watched Captain Lucil's steady stride. "...and," she heard Clasko saying, "they can run over 70 miles an hour. They're truly amazing. Did you know that the oil in their feathers contain an immunity to most fiend poisons? Potion makers use it to create antidotes." "Huh? I'm sorry Clasko, what did you say?" Clasko looked a little crestfallen, used to people ignoring him. "Oh, nothing, Elma..." Tyhlan trotted beside Elma, humming a song. "Cheer up, chocobo boy! We're gonna have fun today! Riding chocobos...alright! Almost makes up for all of that running we did this morning." "Almost," Clasko agreed. "I can't wait. What about you, Elma?" Elma turned to him and gave him a slight smile. "I can't wait either." ---------------- Tyhlan stared at the brush in her hand, glanced at a disgruntled Elma, holding a shovel, then around the room at the other cadets, an excited Clasko, and finally to the captain. "You're kidding," she deadpanned. Lucil chuckled under her breath. "Not at all. Before you ride a chocobo, you have to learn proper maintenance. Now everyone, spread out and get to work cleaning the stables!" Elma winced. "I'll switch the brush for the--" "No," Tyhlan muttered. Elma looked up and sighed. "And Clasko is loving this," she said in annoyance, watching the young man scamper back and forth throughout the room. "Well, duh," Tyhlan moved to a small chocobo, brushed its back. "He likes this stuff." She brushed a bit too roughly, and the chocobo squawked, pecking her with its beak. So surprised, she stumbled into Elma, muttering a sharp curse in Al Bhed. "Ow! You stupid..." She clenched her fist. "I'm gonna..." "Cadet!" Lucil said sharply. Both Elma and Tyhlan scrambled to their feet. "Ma'am?" Elma began questioningly. Lucil ignored her and turned to Tyhlan. "Maybe it would be best if you went over there, with Clasko." She motioned over to where Clasko was standing, cooing to a chocobo. "Perhaps he can help you better understand the chocobos." Tyhlan shuffled, embarrassed. "Yes, Captain Lucil." She handed the brush to Elma and scuttled over to Clasko, mumbling to herself. Elma glanced over at the chocobo, noting its venomous expression. It started a low, dangerous noise in its throat, yellow feathers rippling up against each other. Elma took a step back. "Captain..." she began slowly. "I don't think it likes me." "He, to be exact," Lucil corrected, chuckling. She quirked an eyebrow at the bird. "You just need to know the right way to approach him. Lesson time, everyone!" The other cadets, save Clasko, groaned. "As you all might have noticed, chocobos have to be treated very carefully, or they will become agitated." "She could have told us that before the stupid things almost killed us," one cadet whispered to his friend beside him. He had an array of scratches and peck marks dotting his arms and hands. Most of the others did as well. Lucil continued, ignoring the sullen looks her squad was sending her way. "You must be gentle, and remain calm if they do become angry. Results can be disastrous. Chocobos are highly intelligent creatures, and they should be treated as such." "Disastrous?" The cadet from earlier muttered. "What are they gonna do, peck us to death?" He smirked, and the others snickered, uneasily. Lucil shook her head. "Young man, your name?" "My name? Pfft. I'm Kehni." "Well then, Kehni, would you like an example of what the chocobos can do?" "Sure, why not? Better than cleaning up around here." Elma expected Captain Lucil to get angry, but she only smiled. "Very well. Everyone, follow me." -------------- "What's this all about?" Tyhlan asked Elma, rocking back and forth on the heels of her feet. "No idea," Elma responded. She and the others had been lead to Mushroom Rock Road again, and Captain Lucil was nowhere to be seen. "I hope she doesn't make us run again," Clasko groaned, holding his head. "Why'd that guy have to say anything?" he whined. "Ahh, shut up Clasko," Tyhlan mumbled irritably. "You're just mad 'cause we don't have to clean up after those dumb birds right now." "They aren't dumb! You heard the Captain, they're highly intelligent--" "Be quiet, you two," Elma said, putting an end to the argument. "Captain Lucil is back." Indeed, Lucil had returned, and she was pulling a rather large chocobo by a rope. The bird seemed oddly complacent, allowing itself to be led without argument. Elma noticed that its right eye was closed shut by a gruesome looking scar, and that Lucil had a sword strapped to her back. "Cadets, this is one of our oldest chocobos," Lucil said to the group. "His name is Boco. Boco, introduce yourself." The bird gave what Elma thought sounded like the chocobo equivalent of a grunt. "He's not very vocal, as you can see," Lucil said, laughing a little. She untied the rope from Boco's neck as she spoke. "Boco has probably been in more battles than I have, and he is a very...how to say this...he's very experienced. Now, Kehni? Why don't you come up to the front?" The boy stood up and walked up to Lucil. "Cadet, do you have any experience with weapons?" "A little," Kehni said. His gray eyes flickered in confusion. "Why?" Lucil threw him the sword, and promptly stepped back. "I want you to attack Boco." "What?" "You heard me. Attack the chocobo in front of you." The boy glanced at the bird and scoffed. "Fine then." "Captain!" Clasko cried out. "He's gonna hurt it!" "Don't worry, Clasko," Lucil said. "However, all of you, please step back." The group did so. "Now Kehni, you may attack Boco." Kehni smirked and swung the sword down, catching the chocobo directly in his wing. The bird seemed neither wounded nor impressed, and Elma could have sworn she saw his good eye twinkle in amusement. Kehni scratched his head, and then laughed. "Look, it didn't do anything!" He swung the sword around clumsily. "I knew it wasn't going to...what's that noise?" "Cadets, if you could direct your eyes to the sky, please," Lucil said. The squad did as she asked, and watched as the previously bright blue sky turned a gloomy gray, and then a deep, ominous black. Boco squawked loudly, and flapped his wings. The center of the sky glowed bright red, and the squad gasped in amazement as meteors crashed down from the sky toward Kehni. The boy screamed in fear and danced around, trying to avoid them. The sky cleared up just as quickly as it had darkened, and Lucil once again addressed her squad. "That, cadets, was an example of Choco Meteo, an attack that is usually used by most wild chocobos. As you can see," she waved her hands in the direction of the craters left in the ground, "it can be rather dangerous." She walked over to pick up her sword. "That is why you must be very careful when handling chocobos." She glanced down at Kehni. "Is that understood?" The boy scrambled to his feet. "Yes ma'am!" "Very well. You all are dismissed." The squad made its way back to camp, and Elma glanced back at Lucil, who was gently putting the rope back around Boco's neck. "You did pretty well today," she said to the bird. "Scared that boy half to death." Lucil looked up and noticed Elma. "You got a haircut, I see." "Um, yeah." Elma ran her hand through her hair, feeling oddly self-conscious. Lucil smiled. "It looks very nice." "Thank you, Captain." Elma glanced down at her feet. "Did you enjoy the lesson?" Lucil asked, gently pulling Boco behind her as she walked. Elma moved to walk beside her. "Yes ma'am." "Good. You know, I got a lesson very much like that myself, when I was a cadet." "Really?" "Yes," Lucil smiled at the memory. "I was very...vocal about my dislike of the training plan that day, and my captain took us out to train with a chocobo that wasn't...quite domesticated yet. Needless to say, that bird was a lot less careful than Boco. I needed a Phoenix Down." Elma winced in sympathy. "That must have been terrible." "Oh, it was. But, I did learn my lesson. I hope you learned one today as well." Elma nodded. "Yes ma'am." -------------- "You should listen to that moron," Tyhlan said to Elma when she arrived back at camp. "Who?" "Kehni. He's lying about what happened today. Total loser." "Well, I'd be a little embarrassed too, if that happened to me." "He doesn't have to brag though," Tyhlan muttered, closing her eyes. "Besides, he said something mean about the captain." "Oh?" Elma asked, keeping her voice light. The last thing she needed was for Tyhlan to start teasing her again. "Yeah." Tyhlan fell silent, and Elma bit her lip. She really didn't want to ask, but... "What did he say?" "Feh. Something about her being a terrible trainer, and all. I wasn't really paying atten--" "She's not a terrible trainer! She's a wonderful captain! He doesn't know what he's talking about! It's his fault anyway, for being such a jerk, and--" She stopped when Tyhlan started to laugh. "He didn't say anything about the captain. I just made that up to see what you would do. 'She's a wonderful captain!'" she mocked, dodging a poorly aimed punch from Elma. "Oh man, you were so angry about it! Elma and the captain, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S--" "Would you shut up?" Elma flushed in embarrassment. "I don't like her, alright?" "Aw...I was just joking." Elma pointedly ignored her, crossed her arms, and sat with her back to the half Al-Bhed, her face still an obvious crimson. "Come on, Elma, I'm really sorry. It was just a joke." The other girl did not respond, and Tyhlan raised her hands in defeat, climbing to her feet. "Fine then! I'm gonna go get something to eat. Hopefully, when I come back, you'll be done with the silent treatment." Tyhlan trotted off, and Elma was left alone with her thoughts. "Tyhlan's so silly...I don't have a crush on the captain," she mumbled to herself, staring down at her hands. The wind shifted; short strands of hair danced against her neck. "Besides, even if I did, there's probably something in the teachings that say I shouldn't. I mean, she's my captain, and a girl, to boot." She untied and retied her boots as she spoke. "Well, I really can't call her a girl, I mean, she is a woman after all. And besides, if I did have a crush on her, and I don't, she's way out of my league, being a captain and everything." Elma stopped her third retying of her shoes and slumped her shoulders. "Oh no...I do have a crush on her, don't I?" -------------- Tyhlan returned with two pastries wrapped in napkins. "I grabbed one for you," she said. "An apology, you know. Sorry for being all goofy and everything. They aren't the best thing I've ever eaten, but it's better than starving, right? Ugh...military food. Totally sucks. Powdered drinks and all. I'd go home, just for the food...you alright?" "Yeah...er..." she thought for a moment. "Um...cunno." "Ha! Alright, you've been studying! Your accent's a little off, but that's cool. It's no problem, by the way. I was out of line. I know you don't have a crush on the captain. I mean, you're way smarter than that, right?" Elma bit into her pastry to keep from responding. ------------- A/N: Chapter Two, mission complete! Yes I am a dork. I'd like to extend my thanks to the people that reviewed; I wasn't expecting a review at all, actually. I told myself though, even if I didn't get reviews, I would keep going, if only to make a small effort to fill the X section with something other than 'Aurrikus.' No offense to the people that write them, just...wow. There sure are a lot. =/ If you can guess who the chocobo was inspired from, you get brownie points, yo. It's pretty easy to figure out. =) I'm a fangirl. Also, before I forget, please do not take Elma's admittance of a crush as love. I don't intend to rush this at all, as I've known people who have had crushes for years. Al Bhed notes: 'cunno'-sorry.
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