Just Friends [ m. arguello ]

17) Old Antiques And Speeches

xvii : old antiques and speeches

        Marcus always knew Avery was beautiful, it was a fact that hit him in the face every moment he laid eyes on her. Yet at the sight of her leaned back against the wall messing with a strand of hair the fact seemed more obvious than ever.

She stood in the school's uniform, a button up tucked into her plaid skirt while her blazer was draped over her arm due to her finding the building too warm to wear the extra layer of clothing. As for her hair it was flowing over her shoulders in a curly wave, ending near her waist and holding a slight shine to it from the overhead lighting. In simplicity, she looked absolutely gorgeous in his eyes.

At the sound of the bathroom door closing shut Avery glanced over and grinned at the sight of her friend. He too looked much better now that he had less raggedy clothing and cleaner skin. However something was missing.

As he stopped beside her Avery leaned upwards and ruffled his hair, tossing his curls around before she stepped back with a nod. Once noticing his confused stare she explained the action. "You looked too put together with your hair all fancy."

He chuckled at her usage of "fancy" before glancing around the empty hallway. "I think this place is a cult."

The girl nodded in agreement at that. Everyone was too willing to do whatever they were told for it not to be. Yet they had working showers and a roof, so Avery wasn't going to start complaining yet.

Instead she turned on her heel and started down the hall, Marcus following as he assumed she knew where she was going. They both stopped in their tracks at the sound of their tour guides - the group that previously kidnapped them - piping up.

"Master Lin's office is that way."

So they turned around and both pretended they knew that before sharing a look that said they thought the other knew where they were going. And soon enough the duo were left in a trinket filled office.

Marcus immediately swarmed towards a shelf covered in old knives while Avery spun around in a circle and took in the office. Her eyes landed on a photo left on the desk, eyebrows pulling together as she looked it over. For the photo held a portrait of a younger looking Lin and a duo of grinning teens - ones that strikingly resembled her parents when they were younger.

Her thoughts about the photo were pushed away as she spun around to find Marcus holding a dagger and looking at it in wonder.

She quickly jumped forward to pull it out of his hands. "Didn't you hear about the eyes only rule in museums?" "We're not in a museum," he argued while giving up the dagger. Avery glanced around the room before biting back, "We misewell be."

As Avery set it back on its pedestal Marcus grabbed a sword. He waved it through the air while making a "whoosh" sound as Avery jumped back to avoid being cut in half.

A gasp left her as her back collided with a column, the vase on it tipping off the edge and towards the floor as she quickly jumped to catch it.

Off to the side Marcus watched in horror, the boy stuck between wanting to run in fear of being yelled at yet also wanting to jump forward to catch her in case she got hurt. In the end he was left standing still with wide eyes and his mouth agape.

Whenever Avery caught the vase she quickly set it where it was supposed to be before grabbing Marcus's hand and dragging the both of them away from the items.

He didn't try going back to the antiques even though the sword he was previously playing with was practically screaming at him to mess with it. Instead, he ignored it due to the fact that Avery would probably kill him with it if he went back to mess with the weapon.

That and due to the sound of shoes hitting the hardwood flooring as Master Lin entered his office.

"Zhou dynasty," he explained, nodding his head towards the sword Marcus was longingly watching. "That sword filled the Yangtze with blood. Our species may delude itself under a more noble veneer, but we share one primary goal with other animals. Survival."

Avery watched as the man took a seat at his desk, her shoulder practically pressed against Marcus's as he awkwardly did the same. "However, when in service to the greater good, there can be nobility in killing." Avery withheld her scoff at this. "It is the stark truth: Some people deserve to die."

The man moved over to a wall, looking at a yellowed photograph for a moment before continuing. "My great grandfather came here in search of the American dream. What he discovered was a nightmare of indentured servitude and abuse." Lin turned to face the two. "So he taught himself to kill; he found a purpose in revenge."

The man pointed at the photograph again. "He founded this school, dedicated his life to the self-liberation of oppressed people."

As he walked past the duo Lin nodded his head towards them. "People like you."

"Primarily I train creative problem-solvers." The man sat down in a chair, folding his legs before resting his arm on his cane. "Over time our curriculum and focus has broadened, but we must not forget my ancestors primary goal: To give presents the required skill to dethrone their corrupt masters."

He opened a nearby box. "And if you do as I say - I'll give your rage a voice loud enough to be heard around the world." They both stepped forward to find two ties neatly folded inside. Avery simply looked over at Marcus, deciding to leave the final decision up to him. His answer was simple.

"Fuck it."

AUTHORS NOTE   !

I changed some things around this chapter (show timeline wise) since Marcus gets his uniforms after the talk with Lin in the show - but let's ignore that lol.

-Marie :)