The Wilted Flower ⁀ 𝐤. 𝐳𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐲𝐜𝐤 𝐱 𝐨𝐜

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓮 • 𝓹𝓵𝓾𝓶𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓪

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 "Attention, all applicants! Attention, all applicants! We will be unboarding in five minutes! I repeat, we will be unboarding in five minutes!"  The staticy ping echoed throughout the airship, and everyone knew the announcement was over.

Kurapika sat alone on a bench overlooking the sky. During the Second Phase, while he watched Two walk down the stairs, he could've sworn he saw her eyes, at least one of them, go red. As if she were a Kurta. He thought back to how her eyes looked originally, and remembered the speck in her eyes were multi-colored. They were hard to miss in her mud brown eyes. Yellow, violet, and scarlet. Scarlet. Perhaps it was simply a trick of the light?

He sighed and laid his head into his arms on the windowsill, fighting the urge to bang his head across the hard surface.

"Attention, all applicants! Please make your way to the exit, as the Second Phase is about to start. Again, please make your way to the exit, the Second Phase is about to start!"

Kurapika got up from the bench and speed-walked to the exit, and somehow, he managed to fall into place with Two. "Hello, Two!" the male smiled, turning to look at the girl beside him.

"Oh, hello." she whispered. "You're Kurapika, right?"

"Yep!" he assured, trying to come off as nice and friendly. She could have information. "Hey, Two. . ."

"Yeah?" Two innocently looked up to meet the male's grey orbs, which held curiosity, but something dark as well. He started back for a second until he sighed and turned his head away, looking at his feet.

"Never mind." Kurapika dismissed. Two thought it was weird, but she let it go, focusing on getting to the exit.

/̥ͦ 

"Your task will be to capture and boil a Spider Eagle egg!" Menchi called out happily, gesturing to the abyss behind her. Several confused mutters came from the crowd, unsure as how they would get the eggs.

"Menchi, you need to show them how." Buhara corrected.

"Right! Now, watch closely."  Menchi ran towards the cliff, and gracefully kept down into the abyss.

A collective gasp escaped from the lips of the applicants. Everyone looked over the edge of the cliff, only to see Menchi holding an egg under one arm, and a web with one hand. Everybody watched as Menchi waited for a few seconds, and then dropped.

"What is she doing?!"

"She just dropped down!"

"She's gonna get killed!"

"Did she just. . ?"

The examiners burst into quiet chatter, confused and scared as to what she had done. Everyone abruptly stopped when a powerful wind flew up from the cavern, allowing Menchi to ride to the top of the cliff, skillfully landing on the edge.

"And that's how it's done! The Spider Eagles lay their eggs in a cliff where there's a draft, so when the babies are born, they'll be able to get out. The wind will just carry them up!"

Everyone was silent, and everyone's eyes were on the drop-off behind the chef. "Are there any questions?"  More silence. "No? Okay, you may-"

The sound of running footsteps and clothing snapping in the wind interrupted her as she watched a single applicant jump off the cliff and into the pit below. The girl that was stricken with horror when she found out she failed. And now, in a desperate attempt to pass, she didn't waste any time.

The sound of the wind snapping through the girl's cloak and shorts inspired the others, and after her followed Gon, Killua, Kurapika, Leorio, and an entir mass afterwards.

Two was ecstatic that she received another chance to pass. She wouldn't be like the eager fools who jumped too early, or the scared one who were to scared to jump. She was determined.

She waited patiently, hanging from the web and closing her eyes. All she had to do was close her eyes, and then she wouldn't have to see how high up she was. If she looked down, she would panic, accidentally let go, and then fall to her death. The fear of heights was common, but it was immensely real. Two could barely hold back horrified tears.

The swallowed and let go, making sure she dropped at the perfect time. Her and Gon fell in sync,  and everyone followed their lead. They rose to the top and landed on their feet. Two stumbled or refused to fall. After landing, she immediately ran away from the edge to the pot, not wanting to risk falling. Eventually, she had a delicious boiled egg and the right to continue to the Third Phase.

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ayyy we got a decent sized chapter today guys,,, 

Word  Count: 762