[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Continued from A Brush With Death, A Sweep With Dinner

Shaya stretched as she left the Sun-room. It had taken six months, but she had finally whittled herself down to ten minutes in it, morning and night, and she was feeling much better for it, especially in the mornings - no amount of time would ever make her a morning person.

She stifled a yawn, and nodded as she walked past the guard; these days, she was permitted to roam freely between the library and the training rooms, and she relished the small allowance of freedom.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Mick hovered over her shoulder, close as always. Despite having lived in the cavern for six months, he was still alert at all times, particularly as their host - however well-meaning - had an unfortunate habit of dropping in unexpectedly, and in his case it was indeed a literal occurance. Drake had, on more than one occasion, caused Shaya to drop whatever she was holding and shriek in terror, which had in turn infuriated the librarians on duty, and had set her back a whole week of study after being kicked out and banned until she could 'control herself'.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Shaya winced at that memory, and patted her dagger. After four months, Drake had granted her the dubious honour of carrying a silver dagger, which she was later informed was only granted to students after at least a year (and which had served to alienate her further from the few other recruits). She had almost stabbed him twice since, though both times had been his fault for surprising her, and now she kept a watchful eye and used the main road as often as possible to avoid corners.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She sighed, and trudged the now-familiar route to the dorms where she had been settled after that initial night in the inn. Her rooms were private, with a bedroom, washroom and study all to herself, and she relished the privacy if not the solitude.

The buildings had been carved out of spires raised from the rock itself, and they were always cool to the touch, necessitating a fire at all times and causing Shaya to frequently wear the fur cloak she had been provided with almost all of the time.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Today, however, there was a surprise waiting for her at her door, and Shaya groaned at the familiar sight of the impeccably-dressed Batti waiting for her, cane in hand and leaning casually against the wall. Drake had taken a personal interest in her training, and seemed pleased that she had cut her training time in half so far, reaching a point in her studies where other recruits would have begun assisting master hunters as an apprentice rather than a mere recruit.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Drake was smiling, and Shaya felt her stomach drop when she realised there were several boxes and bags resting on the ground around him. She knew that excited smile, and whatever was going on she didn't like it one bit - no doubt it was some new training scheme of his, and she would soon be paying the price.

She waved unenthusiastically, and forced a smile, which became more real as Mick muttered "Oh, what's he done this time?" into her ear.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"Shaya! Excellent, we can get started right away!" Exclaimed Drake, as they reached him. He gestured to the boxes around him, and gave a wide smile. Shaya raised one eyebrow, and pulled her key out to unlock the door to her room.

"What are you planning this time, Drake?" Mick, forward as ever, zoomed around the packages but couldn't guess at what was inside of them. He had one suspicion, but he hoped from the bottom of his ghostly heart that he was wrong.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

With the door open, Shaya helped Drake carry the packages inside - or rather, Drake carried one in and smiled at her from inside while she collected the others and scurried back and forth, making sure the hallway was clear before she closed the door.

"Now, what's this all about?" she asked, as she filled a kettle from the tap and hung it over the fire to boil, before setting out the tea set she kept ready in her study.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Drake grinned, and gestured at her to open the packages. "My dear, you would think you would remember your own birthday!" He grinned, and crossed his legs as he waited for the kettle to boil.

Shaya was surprised, both that he knew when her birthday was and that it had come so soon. She supposed she had lost track of the days since beginning her training, and only the 'harumph' noise that came from Mick indicated that he, too, was surprised at the gesture.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

As she opened the packages, the gnawing feeling in her stomach grew, and Shaya realised with a sickening feeling that she was looking at a full set of Slayer Hunting Gear. Drake could only mean one thing by this, and although she relished the thought of seeing the sun again, Shaya trembled with the thought of the Hag that could be waiting for her outside their cavern. Her face went pale, and her hands shook as she lifted the fur-lined jacket out of the box.

[Wild Pet Found]

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"It-it's beautiful" Shaya stammered, staring at the jacket in her hands. She did not doubt that the quartermaster had tailored it to fit perfectly at Drake's request, and she caught the cool glint of silver indicating the embroidery between the layers was not for show.

Drake frowned, not missing how her face paled, and sighed; he had hoped that his gift would be well-received, but it seemed he had forgotten to take into account exactly how afraid she was of the evil she had unwittingly released.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"I hope it fits well. My gift may not seem like a blessing, but I believe you are ready for your first real assignment, and I also believe that you would benefit from a little direct sunlight now and again. Rest assured, you will be in very little danger - the case is minor, and you will not be going alone.

Shaya's ears pricked up at this, and she turned to face him; though it was not unheard of for new trainees to be accompanied on their first few cases, it was rare for a minor case to be chaperoned.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"Thank you" she said, with rather more honesty than her first expression of gratitude. The kit was warm, she knew, and as long as it fit well it would be very comfortable, and she was looking forward to testing some of what she had learned out in the field.

"Do you know who will be accompanying me?" She asked, returning her gaze to the jacket in her hands. She hadn't bonded particularly well with the other trainees, and it was rare to see one of the fully-qualified slayers in the base unless they had been called in to pick up a mission or some intel.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Drake smiled; he had been worried that even with an escort, the idea of leaving the safety of the mountain would prove too terrifying for her. Hag or not, she needed to learn how to defend herself in the field, and unfortunately there were some skills that could only be learned during missions as they unfolded.

Shaya glanced his way, slightly unnerved by his smile and lack of answer. She tried to push the feeling of rising panic down into her stomach, and carefully folded the jacket up before placing it back into its box.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"My dear, there are still a few packages left to open" Drake said, charmingly, indicating the remaining boxes on the floor with a sweep of his hand. "As for whom is to escort you, I felt it would rather do me good to stretch my legs again, and who would be so well-qualified as I to both teach you and protect you?"

Shaya felt the lump in her throat disappear, to be replaced with wide-eyed amazement and flutters in her stomach.