Quadrant Feathers

Chapter 41: "Adrenaline Push"

Ace waved back at the the familiar attendant at the front of the hospital, a plastic hospital bracelet hanging around her wrist.

Turning she smiled at Holly who was stepping out.

"You said 10 minutes?" He hummed as Ace nodded.

"It's not too far.. I don't really wanna go back to the dorms just yet," she responded as they stopped out into the sun.

"Alright, I don't mind, it sounds fun and I still have questions." Ace wad relieved, grateful that he reminded her that he didn't mind coming.

"Like what?" She hummed as Holly shrugged following them down the sidewalk.

"You're in Quadrant 3, right?" He asked as Ace nodded.

"And you can fight Kwared?!" He exclaimed as Ace shrugged.

"I can fight but me and Kwared are... Kinda friends, he goes a little easy on me but he was angry yesterday.. I don't consider him anything good though," she said as Holly nodded slowly.

"I don't know him well, I've seen him interact with Phandrin and he seems alot.. nicer? Not too obviously but he always seems to stand a bit close y'know, and he's defensive," Holly explained.

"He's usually pretty angry, I don't talk to him personally though so I don't want to assume," he finished as Ace nodded.

"He can be.. nice, if he really wants to, or needs to on order to manipulate someone. But he's a bad person," she finished, a small snap feeling in her stomach as she said this.

"Oh.. Uhm, I hope he can change then.. Phandrin is a really good person. He's not exactly- stable- but I'm sure they can help each other know," Holly said kicking a few sticks that stuck out in their path.

Ace let out a small laugh glancing at him.

"Him? Unstable? And changing Kwared is such a joke. He's too fuckin stuck up," Ace waved him down a bit as Holly shrugged.

"What do you mean 'not stable'," Ace asked as Holly tensed.

"He has a bit of an anger issue? And he didn't exactly have support growing up or anything- this isn't my stuff to say though," he said as Ace raised a brow.

"Yeah, he slapped Kwared the other day-"

"WHA-" Hollys eyes widened as Ace laughed.

"And he LIVED, Kwared ended up getting back in a horrible way though," Ace rang as Holly still stuck on his friend having slapped a predator.

"Phandrins always been scared of predators-" He explained as Ace furrowed her brow.

"What-? Really?" She asked as Holly nodded.

"He doesn't show it much but you can tell if you know him enough, like when that lion and panther threatened him and Kwared. He just has the vibe but he's not terrified of them," he said as Ace made a hum noise.

"A lot of prey should naturally I guess," she said as Holly nodded.

"I don't think I really am, you're too nice despite just meeting you personally," Holly fumbled as Ace smiled at him.

"That's good... I come off as threatening when I'm with Kwared but I don't care too much for stuff like that, other than quadrant fighting maybe," she said as they came to a small field with a few benches and a park.

"Yeah, you have more of a huggable smart vibe, but strong don't get me wrong," Holly laughed rubbing his neck as Ace watched his expression.

"That's good to know? I didn't think I'd give off such a- you called it a huggable vibe??" She laughed slightly at her own restatement.

"Yeah? I dunno, maybe I'm weird," he said as Ace rolled her eyes.

"Well that can't be it, I think you're great," they said as the two walked down towards the benches.

Holly stayed quiet at this remark, a small smile on his face.

"So you wanna hang out here till you're alright to go back?" Holly paused

"If you're comfortable I mean-" he finished as Ace nodded.

"I don't want to deal with my loss or Kwared just yet," she said as Holly nodded. He plopped down face-first into the grass patting out a yell.

"Jeez I hate walking, I forgot we had wings," he said as Ace paused.

"Same actually-" she opened hers jumping up and flying around the tree for a moment. Holly flipped over watching Ace fly around for a minute.

"Yours look so cool though," Holly said as Ace landed down again almost stepping on Holly.

"Yeah, don't know who the other person is though," they said laying down on the ground and opening her wings on the ground.

She paused turning to look at Holly's wings that were a pitch midnight black, pity filling her chest.

"What happened to yours-? If I can ask?" She said as Holly furrowed his eyebrows for a second.

"Oh.. I don't love her. She did something that really hurt me and Phandrin, I just can't really be with her I guess," he said as Ace nodded.

"I'm sorry, it must be hard walking around with black feathers," she said as Holly nodded.

"It's not that bad, but it's a bit hard seeing everyone else's colorful wings, y'know.. they used to be such a pretty greyish blue," he hummed as Ace watched him hold up a feather that must have fallen out.

"I'm sure they were pretty, and they still are," she tried as Holly smiled.

"Thanks, it means a lot more than it should,"