Golden: The Collection

Chapter XV: Inseperable

One sunny day..

Cobolt found himself wandering around the facility. He'd just finished with a training session, and as collecting the Gemstones was going smoothly, he had plenty of free time. There was but one thing he had left to do before spending the rest of his time outside Serenia's door. Flamethrower told him earlier of a special new recruit entering that day. He was assigned to show her around.
She'd been there for a week now, but the process of properly applying Influence must've been difficult if she was only then receiving a tour.

He knew they were just trying to keep him away from his sister, those worms. His plan was to get it over with as quickly as possible.

Still, procrastination bit hard. When he was finally done with walking aimlessly, he let out a hefty sigh before heading to Flamethrower's office. Pushing the door open, the first thing he saw besides the red carpeted floor and orange accent wall was Nightshade leaning over the new recriot, whispering something to her. From observing, Cobolt knew it was the more in-depth process of applying Influence.

He did his best to bury his burning animosity for Nightshade as he approached. They were both at the bottom of the barrel, but Nightshade.. how he loathed Nightshade. If it weren't for him, Cobolt concluded wouldn't be in this mess to begin with. He cleared out his throat to gain their attention.

"It seems it's time for the tour," Flamethrower said, his voice grating at Cobolt's very existence. "Are you done, Nightshade?"

"This is as good as it's going to get," Nightshade replied. "Take her, Cobolt, and don't come back until she knows this place like she knew her sister."

Like she knew her sister.

"Of course." Cobolt's smile was fake. "Sirs." He bowed before exiting the room, now with another one of their victims in tow. When he glanced back at her, she was peering around the halls with a certain innocent amazement that made his heart soften.

"What's your name?"

She focused her attention on him, silent for a moment or so before answering. "It's Stel.." The fellow off-color was speaking so quietly, he could barely make out the words. She didn't seem far from his age, yet she had a certain timid air about her. He supposed it was from a more sheltered life. Or, perhaps she was the younger sibling, and her older sibling did most of the speaking for her.

"Stella?" He guessed.

"No. Stelora."

"Eh, same thing."

She pointedly harrumphed at him. The brainwashing seemed to be less effective on her than it did the other Hunters their age. Still, the fact that he was able to feel Influence emanating off her Cora Signature proved she was entirely susceptible all the while.

"And what's your name?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to work for that, Stella," Cobolt said as condescendingly as possible, flicking her smack in the middle of her forehead. The action pulled a disbelieving scoff out of her. The tour ended up being more lively than he expected. Once he got Stelora to loosen up, she revealed her more playful nature to him.

As days, weeks, and months went by, their bond deepened. They meshed much better together than Cobolt would've supposed. Everything between them became a competition, whether it be the rare occasion of racing to locate a Gemstone, or beating one another during sparring sessions. At first, Cobolt went undefeated, but once her Core Ability surfaced, she proved to be a challenging foe. That, and, her skill with a spear was praiseworthy.

There was a certain kick Stelora got out of fighting. He could see it in her eyes. The way she maneuvered with such elegance, such grace, such mercilessness. Her thirst for battle was strong, making her a formidable opponent on the battlefield. Though she was a sunflower, it was as though she'd made it her mission to prove to the realms those leaf blades weren't made for healing.