CBLT: Huntsmen in Training

Chapter 9: Shopping Trip

Cobalt looks over the book pierced with four large holes straight through the entirety of it. He stops and blankly looks to Lapis who handed it to him. "Why?"

"It wasn't us. Sakura from team JSPR was messing around with Jade's weapon and messed up your book. She didn't wanna stick around to apologize either, immediately took off." Tanaka explains while tinkering with a piece of his armor at the nearby desk.

Cobalt takes a calming breath. "I'll buy a new copy tomorrow during lunch." He drops the ruined book into a small trashcan.

"Tomorrow? That's not happening. Tram cars into the main shopping district from the academy are blocked off for the opening school week." Bianca tells him.

"They still run automatically." Cobalt states.

Bianca pauses from grabbing her pajamas to change into. She blinks a few times processing his words. Finally, she whips her head around to him. "No."

"It won't take long." He responds.

Bianca aggressively points to the floor, "No. No. No. No. That is against academy rules. We stay here. You will get in trouble."

"Reporting me will lower our team score." Cobalt states.

Bianca stutters speechless.

"We'll cover for you." Tanaka tells him smiling. Lapis gives Cobalt a wink and peace sign in agreement.

Bianca could feel a vein pop in her forehead. Every muscle in her body tensing from her leader's blatant ignoring of the rules and her. "No!" She yells firmly.

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The tram car doors close shut. The dust powered rail line pulls the car from its station at the academy and begins descending. The bare touches of daylight piercing the overcast sky cover Bianca and Cobalt sitting alone together in the car. Passing over the many buildings of the gargantuan floating city of Atlas easily leaving a sense of amazement to the unaccustomed.

"You didn't have to join me." Cobalt tells her.

"You gave me no choice. I at least have to responsible and keep you out of trouble." Bianca responds.

Cobalt looks her over, staring at her sniper rifle attached to her back. "You didn't have to bring your weapon." 

Bianca snaps at him. "I did it because you did!"

"I never leave without it." He calmly tells her.

"Exactly so leave it." Bianca folds her arms across her chest. They spend the rest of the ride in silence. Coming to the opposite stations, the tram car locks into place. The station centered in the middle of a plaza decorated with mosaic stone streets in a hexagonal pattern. Exiting the station, they find dozens of citizens traveling throughout the shopping district. The click clacking of shoes against stone, distant murmurs of people talking, and doors swinging open and closing fill the streets.

"Okay, we have forty-five minutes until next class. Let's find your book and leave as soon as possible." She tells him. Cobalt lazily points down the street. They walk through the city coming across the destined bookstore. A mild oak sign hangs over the store entrance reading 'The Book Cellar' in pale green lettering. Coming inside the warehouse of bookshelves crammed with hundreds of books create a maze of literature. Bianca scans the area. "Let's ask a store clerk on where your book. Make this trip as simple as possible." She turns back finding Cobalt gone. She whips her head in a frenzied search. Realizing that he's ditched her for the books Bianca fumes silently and searches for him.