𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐲 | 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐢 𝐀𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

✥𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚄𝙽𝙳𝙴𝚁𝙶𝚁𝙾𝚄𝙽𝙳✥

≫ ──── ≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫ ──── ≪

After putting their horses away, the whole Survey Corps headed to the dining hall and served themselves a nice warm meal to eat. It was a well-deserved feast, considering all they achieve today and the fact that they didn't, fortunately, pass away. 
Although it was a victorious feat, being alive and back safe and sound, the atmosphere of the dining hall was gloomy and dark, with many grim faces among each cadet sitting in the hall. While few lives were lost, the least amount in any mission so far, it was still friends and members long gone. No longer would they see their smile and kindred spirits, no longer would they fight alongside them and no longer would they enjoy a warm meal together; so it was beyond understandable why everyone seemed so gloom.
It even affected Violet a lot, making her feel like mourning those she didn't personally know. The feeling was so thick in the air, no matter where you were, that before enjoying her meal, she paid her respects once some cadets had finished giving them a proper burial. She got to her knees and sorrowfully mumbled to their graves comforting words, as best as she could. With a tight throat, she managed to tell them that they could rest peacefully as they had fulfilled their duties more than well, that their sacrifice and strength wouldn't go in vain, and that even though she get to know them, she would carry them in her heart; promising to them that she would give it her all to save humanity and achieve the same goal they had fought relentlessly for.

But even after paying her respects and trying to let some of that grief out, the mood in every single room made Violet feel even worse than what she already felt. She had been feeling like that for a long while now, in a never-ending spiral of negative thoughts, as she had various other things to deal with in her mind that contributed to the blue state she found herself in all the time.It was hard to keep up her facade for a long time, having to smile and seem alright, and now that the atmosphere mirrored how she felt, it was even harder to not let herself break down in tears right where she was. No matter how hard she tried, those four years were all that ever was in her mind. They taunted her, appearing from the moment she woke up to the moment she closed her eyes; and even on her deep slumbers would she see those scarring scenes replay as she tried to rest. She wanted to forget them, to get over them, but they were the hardest years of her life. They broke her down so violently and mercilessly it was bound to hunt her for life.

So deep inside her mind she was, that Violet didn't hear the constant calling of her name from a certain red-headed girl. She was only brought back to reality when Julian jabbed his elbow gently on her side, startling her as she looked to his icy blue eyes. For a quick moment, her eyes betrayed the feeling dwelling in her heart, but just as fast as they came, it changed to their usual dull state that the boy next to her didn't notice it all. "Violet, are you alright?" Julian said, "Petra has been calling your name for like the tenth time now." Gulping down the knot in her throat, she quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, Petra. The exhaustion must be getting to me." She quickly lied.
"It's alright, V." Petra said, "I was just wondering whether you would tell us about your life in the Underground?"
Violet only blinked twice and tilted her head slightly to the side, finding the young girl's request bizarre. It was weird to the ex-assassin for someone to care about how life was in the Underground, as she was more than certain people had heard just how shitty the conditions were down there. Her past profession was horrible as well, just as bad as the conditions endured in the Underground, so sharing her life from before would not make a good story to share.
"Julian has told us a few things before, but I just thought maybe you would like to share with us!" The red-headed girl continued.
"If that's okay with you, of course." Thomas quickly added in.

Violet turned to look at her best friend on her side, her eyes asking the question that didn't leave her mouth. With just a single look, Julian seemed to understand the meaning behind her eyes, nodding at her with a smile, encouraging her to share if she felt like it. Turning to look at the rest of the squad, she cleared her throat before she said, "What would you like to know?"
"Anything, really. Like your missions, training, stuff like that!"
"Sure, I guess." She shrugged. "I'm just warning you, they aren't pleasant at all."
The girl shifted in her seat, trying to get comfortable before she started spilling all her years underground. She would tell them all that they wanted to know, but she wouldn't tell them personal things such as why she was taken to the guild in the first place; it was none of their business and Violet would probably go down to her grave holding many secrets that shaped her life.
And so she started."Training back in the assassin keep was easily a hundred times harder than what we do here. It was a combination of everything you could think of: hand-to-hand combat, weaponry, stealing, stealth, anything you would need as an assassin.