Alister chuckled, thinking back to his academy days.
“Oh, I’ve got a few,” Alister said, chuckling. “There was this one time when my friends and I decided to sneak into the headmaster’s office. We wanted to find out what kind of rare
artifacts he kept hidden away. Turns out, he was expecting us.”
Beatrice leaned in, her eyes wide with curiosity. “What happened?”
“Well, we got caught, of course,” Alister said, laughing. “But instead of punishing us, the headmaster gave us a lecture on the importance of respecting boundaries and the dangers of tampering with powerful items and artifacts. Then he showed us a few of them, explaining their history and purpose. It was actually quite fascinating.”
Axel grinned. “Sounds like you got off easy.”
Alister nodded. “Yeah, we did. But the headmaster made sure we never tried anything like that again. He had a way of making his point without being harsh.”
“So, what happened after that?” Blitz asked, eager to hear more.
Alister took a sip of his drink, thinking about how much to share. “Well, after that incident, we decided to focus more on our studies and training. We realized that knowledge and skill were far more valuable than sneaking around and looking for trouble.”
“That’s a mature way to look at it,” Beatrice said.
“Yeah, I guess it is,” Alister replied with a shrug.
“It’s funny how things change.” His tone sounded slightly downcast as he remembered Chase and Yanzi.
Alister’s story caused the others to laugh and nod in agreement.
As the laughter subsided, Axel leaned forward with a mischievous glint in his eye.
“Alright, I guess it’s our turn,” Axel said, nudging Blitz. “Remember that time we decided to prank our entire academy during the end-of-year festival?”
Blitz grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “Oh, how could I forget? It was one of our best pranks ever.”
Beatrice raised an eyebrow, curious. “What did you two do?”
Axel chuckled, his voice filled with amusement. “We rigged the fireworks display, reconfiguring it. Instead of the usual fireworks, we set it up so that it would spell out ‘Axel and Blitz rule!’ across the sky. It was supposed to be a harmless joke, but…”
“But,” Blitz interjected, laughing, “we didn’t account for the wind. It blew the fireworks in all directions, and instead of a neat message, it ended up looking like a giant, colorful mess. Everyone was so confused!”
Alister couldn’t help but laugh at the image. “I can only imagine the chaos that caused.”
“Oh, it was total chaos,” Axel said, still grinning. “The headmaster was furious. He made us clean up the entire academy grounds as punishment. But honestly, it was worth it just to see everyone’s faces.”
Blitz nodded, a fond smile on her face. “Yeah, even though we got in trouble, it was one of the most fun nights we had. And after that, we were known as our academy’s resident troublemakers.”
Beatrice shook her head, laughing. “I should’ve guessed it would be something like that.”
“Hey, at least we made things interesting,” Axel said with a wink. “Life’s too short to always play it safe.”
Blitz raised her glass in a small toast. “To making things interesting!”
The group joined in the toast, their laughter filling the air.
As the laughter died down, Axel turned to Beatrice with a teasing smile. “Alright, Bea, it’s your turn.”
Blitz nodded in agreement, leaning in with a grin. “Yeah, Bea, let’s hear one of your stories. You’ve got to have some good ones.”
Beatrice blushed slightly, shaking her head. “Oh, I don’t know if I have anything that exciting to share.”
“Come on,” Axel urged, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “We all know you’ve got some stories. Don’t be shy.”
“Yeah, spill the beans, Beatrice,” Blitz added, her tone playful and insistent. “We’re all friends here.”
Beatrice hesitated for a moment, then sighed, realizing there was no escaping their playful pressure. “Alright, alright. But don’t expect anything too wild.”
The group leaned in closer, eager to hear what she had to say.
“Well,” Beatrice began, a small smile spreading on her lips, “there was this one time during my early days at the guild. I was still trying to prove myself, you know, show everyone that I belonged.”
Axel and Blitz nodded, urging her to continue.
“So, there was this training exercise,” Beatrice continued. “We were supposed to navigate a labyrinth and retrieve a special artifact. It was supposed to be a solo mission, but I ended up getting completely lost. I mean, I had no idea where I was going.”
Alister chuckled, imagining the scene. “Sounds like a tough start.”
“It was,” Beatrice admitted. “But then I stumbled upon another member who was also lost- Aiko.”
Blitz and Axel’s eyes widened in surprise. “Aiko? The same Aiko who trains us now?”
Beatrice nodded, smiling. “Yeah, back then she was just as strict, but she was still finding her own way too. We decided to team up, even though it was against the rules.”
Axel grinned. “Breaking the rules already, huh? Guess I’ll have something in my arsenal when she tries to scold us next time.”
Blitz wore a slightly nonchalant expression as she said, “Don’t think that’s a good idea. It could very well make things worse.”
“It would probably go something like, ‘You’re attempting to blackmail a senior guild member? Double punishment for you.””
Axel’s expression turned slightly pale as he imagined the scene. “I guess you have a point.”
Beatrice laughed softly. “Yeah, anyway, we ended up working together and managed to find the artifact. When we got back, we were both prepared for a lecture, but instead, the guild master praised us for our teamwork. It was the first time I felt like I really belonged here.” Blitz clapped her hands together, beaming. “See? That was a great story! And you thought you didn’t have anything to share.”
“Yeah,” Axel agreed, nodding. “It’s always nice to hear about how people find their place in
the guild.”
Beatrice smiled warmly, feeling more at ease. “Thanks, guys. I’m glad I shared it.”