Monster Hunter: Stars of Hope

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Better Days

A few weeks had passed since they returned to Granport at last, and Sariko was now recovering quite well. In fact, she was currently in a training room, finally brandishing her tatara steel Longsword once again. Though, she was also currently in her casual attire instead of her armor; Rather than preparing for a hunt, she was simply wielding her blade against a wyvern-shaped training dummy in an effort to test if she was ready for active duty, both Nia and Haldys watching her, though they both did so for very different reasons. Of course, the old man was examining Sariko's form, reflexes, and agility for any flaw borne of her injury that might justify keeping her out of the field for a bit longer. However, it appeared that the revitalizing effects of the strange elixir brewed by Moratta, which had nearly killed Sariko all on its own, were now greatly boosting her recovery. At this point, it was practically a foregone conclusion that she would be cleared to return to hunting.

Nia, on the other hand, was simply watching Sariko for the sake of looking at her.

Sat leaned over a table behind Haldys with her hands on her cheeks, elbows propping her up, she could not help but smile gleefully at the sight of Sariko, who she was now trying to find a different label for other than 'best friend'. A part of her felt that referring to this woman as her 'girlfriend' was a bit too silly; Then again, it wouldn't be the only thing she'd feel silly for. Mainly, she found herself amazed at how close she came to realizing the truth about how she really felt about this woman, who was a stranger to her not but a year ago, only to steer as far as she possibly could from the idea until circumstance forced her back to it. She had fallen for Sariko, as she had for her; Perhaps it was at first sight, the both of them equally too blinded by their own traumas and insecurities to even recognize it when it happened, instead both remaining almost comically oblivious to it for many months. Nia knew well that it probably should have been obvious to her at some point before this, and likely would have been if she spent more than two seconds pondering the idea that she might have been in love, rather than getting angry with herself for even considering it.

Perhaps, though, a thought regarding Black Diablos wasn't the best to lead Nia to such a revelation; After all, such monsters were known to pick brutal fights with potential mates and genuinely kill those that that didn't perform well. That certainly wasn't at all applicable here, even if she had near as much issue with anger management as those tyrant wyverns. Rather fortunately, Sariko was blessedly good at keeping Nia's rage in check.

Soon, Sariko sheathed her blade and turned back around towards Haldys, taking in a deep breath. She seemed nervous, but a quick glance towards Nia seemed to break that, her exhale shifting into a confident smile as she strode towards the commander. "Well, Sariko, you seem well enough to me", Haldys stated, before making a gesture to her right with his hand and asking her, "Though, could you turn your head to the side for just a moment?". Sariko did this without issue, to which the old man motioned her to turn her head the other way. As soon as she did, though, Sariko winced mildly as the wounded spot on her neck, which at this point had long had its stitches removed, leaving only a scar, was strained with the twist of her head. "Well, that doesn't look like the kind of pain that can't be fought through", the commander noted, "And I don't exactly expect you and your team to be doing too much hunting for the next few days, given the date. So, consider yourself cleared".

"Yes! Thank you, Commander Haldys!", Sariko exclaimed with a respectful bow, to which the old man spoke up, "You're welcome. Dismissed". Sariko was quick to walk towards the door, turning around to give another smiling look towards Nia as she called out, "See you at the hub, Nia?", to which Nia responded as she straightened her posture, "Yeah, I'll be there!". With this, Sariko exited the room and Nia began to collect her things from the table, once again finding herself glad that the doctor had not taken all of the zenny from the coin purse in front of her. After all, she had commissioned the forging of something very special, very deadly, and very pricey to be made at the smithy with her share of the Nergigante materials.