In the middle of the arena, surrounded by all the damage their showdown had caused, Ash and Magnolia both stood having removed their Valkryie Gears. Miss River’s stood in front of them, just as she had in the pre-talk before the showdown, but unlike then neither of the two trainees were particularly energetic. Instead they were both standing in muted silence, pointedly looking away from each other. The teacher sighed. “Let’s go over the match shall we?”

The petite woman pulled out a device from her pocket before a holographic recording fizzled into the air. “Hale, while you won the match, you let Whitelund get under your skin too easily. Especially once he deployed his Valkryie Gear. Besides that, your hubris and underestimation of your opponent led to a decrease in efficiency as well as you taking numerous blows that you should’ve been able to avoid. The only reason you were able to shrug them off was due to your Einherjar, not your own skill. But speaking of, there wasn’t even a need to modeshift into that final form of yours. It was just reckless, if I’ve read the specs of your Einherjar right. Learn to control yourself better, understand?”

“Yes madam.” Despite being the victor, Magnolia merely lowered her head, unable to look up from the ground.

“And as for you Whitelund.” Miss Rivers turned to the vintrkind boy and he instantly took a breath of winter to keep himself still. “Your need to ‘ramp yourself up’ before you can use your Valkryie Gear is a handicap, but at least you aren’t totally helpless. You’ve got fighting experience under your belt, but you’re clearly going off instinct rather than proper training. It’s especially apparent once you deploy your gear. Your aerial maneuverability isn’t bad for someone who only had their gear for a week, but it’s not optimal either. There were several moments where you made impulsive mistakes and rushed in for the assault when your Einherjar would’ve made ranged combat a better option.”

“But it doesn’t matter right?” Ash bit out heatedly before hissing and cooling himself down. “I lost so I’m going to get kicked out. That’s how it was.”

The cowboy teacher blinked at him before adjusting her hat and letting out a long, drawn out sigh. “Kids, I swear… Did you really think that if you lost you’d automatically be expelled?”

“Huh?!” Both trainees exclaimed at the same time. They quickly met each other's eyes before coughing and looking away.

“Both of you?” Miss Rivers pinched her nose. “You two forgot what the point of this showdown was didn’t you?”

“Was it not to decide if I could stay in Vahalla?” The only boy asked.

“Uh huh. I told you to prove that you had what it takes,” The instructor said flatly. “At no point did I ever say that it was dependent on winning the match. Don’t get distracted and forget the point of what you’re doing, got it?”

Ash let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and allowed the tension to escape his body. “Yes ma’am.”

“Yes madam.”

“Now in regards to my evaluation…” And suddenly the vintrkind’s tension spiked right up again as Miss River’s trailed off. “Well, it could certainly do with more practice and polish, but that’s what VEA is for. If you focus on improving your theory and studies, you won’t flunk out of the semester at least. You pass Whitelund, unless Hale has anything to add?”

“I wouldn’t dare go against your judgment madam.” The blonde replied before slowly speaking. “...And I think that he didn’t make… a complete fool of himself…”

“That’s different from what you were saying during the battle,” Ash couldn’t help but note.

“Oh will you shut your mouth?!” Magnolia snapped at him. “Frustration and Pity are two different emotions! Fine! You can at least match with a C-Rank trainee!”

Considering he was apparently D-Rank he’d take that as a compliment.

Their teacher nodded. “Now that that’s settled-”

“RAY!” A voice shouted. Ash didn’t even have time to blink before a pink blur tackled their instructor. Soon enough, the petite woman was engulfed in a glomp by a much more mature- The vintrkind quickly shoved as much winter as he could into his body as he willed his attention away from her large adult features and on to the pink haired woman’s face. Most notably, her eyes which were droopy and unfocused. “Really, taking two of my students to pull a stunt like this on the first day of the semester!”

“Get off me Amelia.” Miss Rivers struggled, but when she ultimately could not escape from the woman twice her size she sighed. “I had reasonable suspicions about Whitelund’s enrollment in VEA.”

“Suspicions that could’ve been addressed after class. Or with the other staff members.” Amelia retorted with a wag of her fingers. “You didn’t need to cut into their precious school time!”

“Pardon me Madam Peach.” Magnolia raised her hand. “But we agreed to this and knew the risk-”

“Oh hush now you. This is something for the adults to sort out.” In the corner of Ash’s eyes, he caught the Asgardian trying to suppress a flinch at the words. The newcomer giggled before pointing at the empty space next to Magnolia. “But since you’ve already missed out on most of my precious class time because of Ray, I decided to drop by and introduce myself! Especially for that handsome young man over there.”

The white haired boy glanced at where she was pointing. Was she…? “I’m over here.”

“Oops! Silly me!” Miss Peach knocked her fist with her hand and stuck out her tongue. “Oh I’m always making mistakes like that… Well! All we can do is move on!”

Ray tumbled out of her grasp as the pink haired woman put her hands on her hips and leaned down at a very… noticeable… angle. His eyes soared back up to her face. At the rate Ash was letting the blizzard consume him, the vintrkind was sure that half of his body was going to turn numb. “My name’s Amelia Peach, and I’m your Data Analysis teacher! It’s a core class so you better be paying attention!”

Oh he was paying attention to something alrigh- No goddammit he had already said enough stupid shit today and he’d rather freeze his tounge off then open his mouth once again!

Magnolia gave him a look before letting out a snort. “We appreciate your attention and will do our best to live up to your standards. Right?”

“Yes.” Ash nodded stiffly. “We’ll… do our best.”

By this point the air around the boy had grown noticeably cold, but if Miss Peach felt it she didn’t give any indication as she let out a cheery laugh. “Ah! It’s so good to have such diligent students! I can’t wait to spend the semester with you!”

“Don’t get on my case if all you came here to do was exchange pleasantries.” Miss Rivers said before turning back to the duo. “Whitelund, Hale, change back into your uniforms and head to your next class. School isn’t over yet.”

The blonde nodded. “Should we report back to you once we’re done?”

“Oh don’t bother!” The other teacher waved. “I’ll be having a discussion with Ray about her actions today so you’re better off not waiting for us.”

“Very well then.” Magnolia nodded before turning around and beginning to walk back to the changing rooms silently. Ash quickly followed after her, but in the distance he could still hear the voices of the two teachers.

“Really, stuff like this is why you’re always getting into trouble with the rest of the staff members.”

“I think it was well within my rights as their homeroom teacher.”

“Well you can try telling that to Xiao Bai later…”

---

Ash walked out of the changing room with a tired sigh. His body didn’t really hurt from all the action a few minutes ago, but he was exhausted and wishing he had more in his stomach than synthesized health goop. Come to think of it, he didn’t even get to finish his lunch before Miss Rivers had called him up. Probably for the best considering how fast he was going in the air. Not that he liked to think about what happened during the fight…

All the thoughts swirling outside of his head came to a pause as he heard someone speak. “Ahem.”

The Vintrkind turned around only to find Magnolia leaning against the changing room walls. The two of them stared at each other in tense and awkward silence before the blonde let out an angry groan. “Oh for goodness sake, really?!”

Stomping over to him, the Asgardian reached to his shoulder before ripping off the tie he had wrapped arm. Pressing in quite close to him, Magnolia began to loop the fabric around his neck, tying it up in a knot. “If you’re going to be a Valkyrie at least dress properly! You look like a mess!”

“...Sorry,” Ash got out, turning away as the girl began to straighten up his uniform.

“You should be! To make me do servant work…” The blonde grumbled. “This is the only time, understand?! Learn how to dress yourself properly by tomorrow! I’m not your nanny!”

“Alright.” The Vintrkind nodded as he tried his best to keep cool. “And… I’m sorry.”

“Huh?” Her blue eyes stared up at him in confusion. “What do you need to apologize for now?”

“The way I acted in the match…” More specifically, the things he said once Loptr was finally active. Ash was ready to die of embarrassment at any moment. He had put his foot so far into his mouth it reached around to kick his own ass. “I wasn’t really in control of myself so the things I said-”

“Oh, that. Forget it.” Magnolia took a step back before flicking her hair. “I’ll have you know that I’ve been called beautiful everyday of my life. Comments from an amature flirt aren’t enough to faze me.”

The white haired boy raised an eyebrow. “...Really?”

“Really.”

“You seemed kind of-”

“Really,” the asgardian hissed before letting out a tired sigh. “Besides, it’s not as if my own behavior wasn’t just as deplorable. I underestimated you and… Gh, you aren’t bad okay?! For a man that is.”

“Was specifying my gender really necessary?” Ash couldn’t help but ask. “I’m not sure what it has to do with anything.”

“I am unaware how people conduct themselves in the lower realm but in Asgard men are,” Magnolia paused, trying to find the right word before looking away. “Well, it’s hard to find anyone even remotely decent amongst the rot and filth.”

...Huh.

“I always thought that Asgard was the best realm to live in.” Certainly, everything was at least extravagant. Then again, anywhere had to be a better place to live then the viper’s den that was Midgard. “Getting to it is almost everyone’s dream after all.”

Not that it was really possible. You’d have to be as wealthy as a CEO for one of the Three Kings of Midgard or you had to make it as a Valkyrie. Those were the only two options for those looking to ascend to the realm of the gods.

“Best realm to live in doesn’t mean that it’s the perfect realm.” She said. “Asgard has its own share of problems to deal with, ones you need not concern yourself with. But we must move on to the main issue at hand.”

Magnolia nodded before looking up to stare him in the eyes. “Ash Whitelund, what do you seek to accomplish here?”

He blinked. “What?”

“Are you a slacker, planning to live life coasting on the luck that got you into Valhalla?” She continued. “Or are you going to do something more with your life?”

“...There’s a reason I came here.” Ash said. “I don’t seek to become a Valkryie for itself, but if proving myself as one can bring me closer to my goals then I’m willing to do what it takes.”

“Proving yourself, hm?” The blonde mulled over the Vintrkind's words before nodding. “Very well then. It’s going to be a long, hard road, but if you so desire I’ll help you put in the training so you won’t make a fool out of both of us. You’ll at least be strong enough that even a B-Rank would have trouble fighting you once I’m done.”

“But not strong enough to win against you.” He couldn’t help but comment.

Magnolia paused in her tracks before looking away and letting out a sigh. “Let us both agree to put aside the match, alright?”

“Why?” Ash asked. “I thought you would’ve been flaunting it in my face with your victory.”

“As if that could be called a victory.” The Valkyrie of Achilies scoffed. “Victory by time out? It’s a disgrace. Not to mention the fact that I even pulled out Pyrisous Mode and still didn’t manage to finish you off. Like Miss Rivers said, I was hotheaded, reckless, and relied more on the Einherjar I was given rather than my own skill. If Mother were here then she would’ve… No, that’s enough. We’re putting this behind us.”

It was a demand this time, not a question. Not that Ash didn’t want to forget about his own embarrassing performance. Free styling the memory into the trash can with a three-point shot, the Vintrkind nodded. “I can agree to that.”

“Good. Now, if I am to be your partner and handler for your duration at VEA, then I expect you not to act like a complete buffoon,” Magnolia said as she pressed a finger against his chest. “You will be on your best behavior, do you hear me Whitelund?”

“Vargr,” he replied. “Call me Vargr.”

Blue eyes stared at him. “I refuse.”

The whitehaired boy sighed. “Then at least call me Ash.”

“...I can do that.” She nodded. “But let me make our relationship perfectly clear. I don’t like you… Ash, but I don’t particularly hate you either. Don’t disgrace me, and we’ll get along perfectly fine.”

The Vintrkind nodded before a thought came to him. “If you dislike doing this so much, then why did you even agree to be my handler?”

“To become a Wing,” Magnolia declared before pausing and realizing something. “Pardon me, I forgot how uneducated you are. I’ll put in simple terms for you.”

Ash stared at her flatly as she continued. “Wings are the Valkyrie representatives for their entire realm. It is the greatest honor that a Valkryie can achieve. Right now I’m only a candidate for the position, there are others like me all trying to earn it for themselves.”

The blonde turned away, hands clenching as she stared off with a serious look in her eyes. “That’s why being the ‘best’ isn’t good enough. I need to be more than someone with just good scores and skills. I need to be great. Achievements that others would envy, a legacy people will remember. A person who ‘has done’ instead of someone who just ‘might be’. That’s the only way to become a Wing.”

Magnolia turned back towards Ash before reaching towards his tie and pulling him in close. Their foreheads touched, and the Vintrkind could feel the warmth of her skin as she spoke with a burning fire in her voice. “And that’s why I chose to become your handler. Training up the world’s first male Valkryie, and reforming a known criminal while I’m at it. To put it bluntly, you’re the first step on my path to become a Wing. The way I’ll prove to the world that Magnolia Hale has what it takes. Help me and I’ll help you, but slander my name and you’ll just become another stepping stone to climb over.”

That was… Well, it’s not like Ash liked being treated just as some sort of tool for her to climb higher, but at least Magnolia was offering a mutually beneficial relationship. That was something he was familiar with. And from the look in her eyes and the way that she carried herself… Well, Ash wasn’t sure if he could smell blood but she didn’t seem like the kind of girl who would backstab and betray him. Not that it was a guarantee. Ash had seen pressure make people much older then her shatter and destroy their morals to get ahead. But for now, he made his decision.

“Fine. I’ll help you for now.” The white haired boy drew away from the close contact. “Treat me well, Magnolia.”

It was, in fact, the first time that Ash had actually spoken the girl’s name out loud. It hardly rolled off the tongue, feeling foreign with an accent placed on the wrong syllable, but Magnolia merely rolled her eyes at the mistake before turning around. “Then we better get a move on to our next class Ash. As Madam Rivers said, school is still in session.”

That was the case wasn’t it? “I suppose we’ve just been ditching class for the past few minutes.”

The way Magnolia’s face went stark white as her eyes widened almost made Ash break his wintry persona to laugh his ass off.