LJNT

Janelle

It was finally dark in the Torres household.

A sixteen year old with violet hair and amber eyes slowly pulled the covers off of herself. She fixed her alarm clock, ignoring the letter of acceptance on her desktop. Congratulations Janelle Torres, for making it to our highly prestigious academy of engineering! Janelle had no plans of going to any school that didn't involve training. She couldn't waste her talents on something that wouldn't protect other people.

Janelle crept around the house, making sure everyone was sound asleep before quickly changing out of her sleepwear. She pulled her hair backwards into a loose braid, knowing that she had no time to lose. She hated having to sneak out, but her family could not find out about what she was doing. She grabbed her bow from deep under her bed before climbing out the window.

Janelle landed on the ground with a graceful roll. She glanced around, standing and doing a double check before she darted into the forest.

The only noise were the steady sounds of her boots against the ground. The night was quiet and calm, and the shattered moon stayed high in the sky. Finally, she made it to an alcove in the forest.

A woman with neat blonde hair tucked into a tight bun stood with her hands clasped behind her back. She had a sword sheathed at her side, and a trimmed black and white uniform. She stood formally, a stern look in her gray eyes.

"Hello, Janelle. You're late," The woman scolded immediately, and Janelle lowered her eyes shamefully. "Why?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Ashe," Janelle immediately stood at attention, making sure not to move out of place. "My mother went to bed later than anticipated. I will make sure to be more precise next time."

"Make sure that you are. Precious time was wasted," Ashe responded, narrowing her green eyes. "Now, are you ready to begin?"

"Yes."

Without a moment's hesitation, Ashe withdrew her sword from it's sheath and dashed towards Janelle. Janelle quickly held her bow up to block, splicing it into two swords as she swung in the blonde woman's direction.

Ashe easily blocked with her one sword, dodging under Janelle's blade and feinting an attack forward. As Janelle moved to block, Ashe quickly parried Janelle's sword and lunged.

A reflective, lavender shield appeared around Janelle, and Ashe didn't even manage to dent the barrier. The shield disappeared as Janelle grabbed fumbled to put her bow back together, firing arrows precisely.

Ashe rolled and dodged each sharp arrow, at one point managing to slide under one of her weapons. Janelle grabbed several ice dusted arrows, firing rapidly while closing the difference between the two of them. Ashe was swift, but as she flipped and avoiding each one, Janelle managed to hit the edge of her sword with an arrow. It immediately froze to the ground.

Ashe didn't waste a second in trying to break it out. She simply began to engage Janelle in combat, blocking blows with her aura protected arms and kicking easily. She swung her leg out, forcing Janelle backward as she punched her arm forward. Her fist merely hit a barrier, and Janelle slammed her bow onto Ashe's head.

The older woman stumbled backward, narrowing her cold eyes in concentration. Instantly, Janelle watched as her mentor froze in place entirely. Instead of checking it out like she had done the very first time they fought, Janelle remained vigilant. She quickly loaded her bow with a gravity dusted arrow, shifting her eyes from side to side.

Where is it...

Aha. A slight ripple in the wind, one invisible to anyone who wasn't looking closely. Janelle fired the arrow into the ground, feeling herself shoot upward as Ashe reappeared, punching forward. Janelle landed on her feet, backing up slightly. The frozen afterimage disappeared, disintegrating into ashes. Ashe flickered in and out of sight as she activated her semblance, seemingly teleporting. Janelle rapidly fired her bow, hoping that she'd be able to hit the unpredictable mentor.

Ashe reappeared near her weapon momentarily. Janelle expected her to try and grab it, and fired multiple arrows. Instead, the sword remained frozen to the floor, with no Ashe afterimage in sight. Janelle furrowed her brow in confusion; what had happened?

In an instant, Ashe reappeared behind her, punching backward. The barrier surrounding Janelle cracked under Ashe's weight, and Janelle gasped as the blow hit her straight in the jaw. She stumbled backward, holding her bow to try and block. Ashe merely caught the weapon, kicking it out of Janelle's hands and twirling it in her own. She pointed one end of the weapon at Janelle, a pointed look on her face.

"You still have much to learn."

Janelle clenched her fists in frustration, but she respectfully held her tongue as always. Ashe circled her, reciting her many criticisms of the battle.

"...but, I will tell you...that you have improved greatly," Ashe concluded, handing Janelle back her sharp bow. "What you lack for in strength, you make up for in dexterity and strategy. Your usage of dust has improved since we last met, just as I instructed."

Janelle waited patiently, slinging her bow around her shoulder before clasping her hands behind her back respectfully once again. Ashe regarded her with cold, gray eyes before sighing.

"You may speak, Janelle. You do not have to wait for my instruction to talk."

"...Will this suffice?" Janelle questioned carefully. Ashe has always encouraged her to speak without fear, yet, Janelle had been carefully primed to listen first and speak second. "I fear my mother has yet to stop pestering me."

"...No," Ashe walked closer, and Janelle dropped her head in disappointment. Remembering her manners, Janelle quickly lifted her head and looked straight ahead. Ashe shook her head. "Look at me, Janelle. You have so much potential. This will not suffice..but that is why we will keep working on it. I will send a message to your parents."

"What?" Janelle's eyes widened, and her lips parted in surprise. Ashe walked right in front of Janelle so that they made eye contact, and Ashe placed a hand on Janelle's shoulder. The purple haired girl shook her head. "With all due respect Miss Ashe, they will not respond kindly to such a request!"

"Janelle, you know you may refer to me as just Ashe," The huntress replied calmly. "You must confront your parents at some time. You cannot avoid this problem forever. They will listen to me, I will make them listen. Know this; you will be headed to Beacon Academy in two years. There is no more hiding this fact."

"...My family will be furious," Janelle felt somewhat uncomfortable as Ashe patted her shoulder. She knew Ashe meant well, but it just felt awkward. "No matter how much respect they have for you, they will object. I...I don't want to disappoint them."

"...You'll be disappointing yourself if you remain silent," Ashe responded evenly. She brushed the hair off of Janelle's shoulder, straightening herself upward. "...You will continue to train with me...but I will have you enrolled in a fighting school to better prepare you for Beacon. Alright?"

Janelle remained silent for a moment. Disobey her family? They would be enraged, demanding that she destroy her own bow for her own safety. It wasn't that her family hated her, they just wanted to remain traditional and let other people fight for them. They wanted to be a compact family that remained respectful and followed the rules. Could Janelle leave that? Leave the people who loved and raised her?

Well, Janelle wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't help protect anyone. Hadn't she known that just from disobeying her parents? She had already done the deed in secrecy just by training with Ashe...

"Okay," Janelle said softly, steeling her resolve. "Thank you, Mi-Er...Ashe. Thank you very much."

I need to have the courage to disobey..

"You're very welcome, Janelle. Now, raise your bow. We go again!"