***NEED WORK

I slowly opened my eyes, trying to figure out what just happened.
Arms? Brick wall? Breathing?!

I was a bit lightheaded and my neck felt very loose. I waited anxiously for my eyes to regain focus. I cursed my fatigued status for taking so long to recover.

My eyes recovered and my mind started to process things.

First, I was startled, then I was confused. Realization and comprehension came somewhere in between. And finally, at the very end, came the embarrassment.

"Hey Mivian. Are you okay?" the brick wall asked, his tone kind and gentle.
He had a slight smile on his face but his eyes were filled with worry. I found myself in the arms of Sarvwen; Aequitas-rank Slayer and also Zavius's best friend. And the solid surface that was supporting my head, just happened to be his muscular chest.

Yikes... how awkward is this?

I didn't trust my voice so I just nodded. I was still confused and that was more than just overwhelming. Sarvwen must have seem the confusion on my face because he dropped his smile and studied me, as if I was some code to decipher.
Then I remembered how I got to where I was in the first place.

I sat up abruptly with a start, only to be taken down by a seizing headache and nauseating spinning of my head. I felt two hands clamp down on my shoulder, holding me steady.
"Easy, Miv. Ava said that you took a direct hit to your Energy Pulse and haven't fully recovered yet." Sarvwen said in a tone that directed a doctor's order than anything.
Then he started to laugh lightly, shaking his head.
"It's alright! Every thing's fine. We made sure of that."

We? Oh, right; Ava...
IN THE NAME OF THE DIVINE, WHERE IS SHE?!

Again, I bolted out of Sarvwen's arms and this time I forced myself on all fours. I tried to stand on my feet.
Argh, no good. The ground was not steady under my feet---
I stumbled over my numb feet and again, two hands took hold of the side of my arms in a strong supportive grip. I felt myself be gently set down onto the ground as if I was made out of porcelain.
I glanced up at Sarvwen with a grimace. He looked down at me sympathetically. He must have figured what I was thinking, because he jerked his head pointedly forward in a light nod. My eyes followed his and I looked back down the long hall in the direction I came.

Number of good yards away from where we were stood Zavius and Varsalo, standing stiff and glaring at one another. And right in the middle was Ava, sandwiched right in between the two hot-headed idiots. Both of their height loomed over her by another good foot and a half, but it was clear who had taken over. A sharp edge of a katana stopped Zavius short, the blade extending diagonally across her back from her loosely gripped right hand. In her left she gripped Varsalo's wrist, stopping a clenched fist right in front of her face.

"Oh," was all I could say.

Oh.
Maybe I was relieved. I was definitely glad to see her. But again, something was bothering me...
Oh yeah, the dagger, that so happens to be at her throat. Why did it look so familiar?
The slender blade with the fine point, the hooked cross guards that gleamed like fangs, and the elegant, loosely spiraling hilt all seemed familiar. It was very feminine, silver, pretty---

I gasped out loudly, causing Sarvwen to jump.
Wait a minute, that's mine!

"What? What is it?" Sarvwen demanded.
My hand flew to my hip where the scabbard was.

Oh, surprise, surprise; no dagger.

I leaped to my feet for the second time, this time steady over my feet. Then I started to stomp over to the trio, leaving Sarvwen behind, dumbstruck.
I kept going, swiftly getting closer to them. Zavius seemed to have noticed me first because he suddenly snapped his gaze onto me.
"Mivian, hey---"
I ignored him, keeping my glare glued on Varsalo.
"I suggest you lower my dagger from her neck, asshole," I growled.

Varsalo didn't even look my way, never mind moving. That pissed me off. I forced myself to calm down, only allowing myself to glare. I took a swift glance at Ava. Her face was expressionless; it was as if she didn't care about the dagger at her throat. Maybe she didn't... who knew what Ava was thinking in moments like this.
Suddenly, Varsalo spoke up.
"Hmm... Must be my lucky day. First the Slayer Prince, and now I am greeted by the famous alpha-female prodigy of Four Gates Guardians. What an honor." he said, tilting the dagger up slightly.
Ava lifted her chin away from the silver blade.
"I wouldn't call this much of a merry meeting, Varsalo." she said in a low tone.

Varsalo laughed as if she was telling him a joke.
"No matter. Though... I am a bit disappointed. How easy it was for me to take the upper hand against the two gifted Immortals of our generation today, hmm?" he said, not sounding disappointed in the least bit. He ran the tip of the dagger just along Ava's jaw.
Ava's eyes hardened for a second. Then, very unexpectedly, she smirked.
"You know, jumping onto conclusions could prove to be a very dangerous thing." she said casually.
I watched in confusion as she slowly let go of his wrist. Varsalo didn't move his fist away from her face. His eyes widened in surprise.
"What the---" he began, and Ava just released him without a struggle.
She held her left arm up to the side, parallel to the ground. Varsalo still didn't move.

That's when I realized he couldn't move.

He was frozen in place, perfectly still like stone.
Ava's expression became serious again, her gaze cold and sharp.
"This whole ridiculous display is over." she stated.
Ava gave one twitch of her finger, Varsalo flipped my blade over and held it to his own neck. His eyes widened with surprise as she brought her fingers in front of his face silently threatening.
"Don't you agree?" she asked, as if she was actually asking for his opinion.

I was dumbstruck. Shadow Marionette was a high-class Ward that was incredibly hard to cast, and Ava had Varsalo under its power without one spoken word. Now it was all in her will that determined what movement he made next. Just one more twitch of her finger and he was done for.

But instead, to my severe disappointment, she released her hold and freed Varsalo with a dismissive gesture.
He looked stunned for a second before he started to laugh.
I glanced at Zavius. He was still scowling but his eyes had dimmed to a bluish-green shade.
Varsalo rubbed his neck lightly where the dagger was, ignoring Zavius. He turned to me. Without a warning, he tossed my dagger my way. I caught it fast and stored it back into its scabbard. When I looked back up, he was already walking down the hall.
"Bravo," he said. "As expected from you, Ava."
Suddenly, he stopped short.
"Oh, I almost forgot." He muttered.
He turned back to us, his eyes reaching Ava. He then pulled something from his trench coat pockets and tossed it towards her, who caught it lightly in her left hand.
"Orders from 'above'," he said, before disappearing into thin air.

The remaining four of us stood there in a thick silence.
Zavius didn't look up from the ground, looking a bit shamefaced. Sarvwen walked over to him and started to talk to him in a hushed tone. I snuck a look at Ava. She was looking down at the object she just received.

"Vardavit," was all she said.

I looked over and I saw that it was a silver mission card in her hand. Whatever was on it didn't make her happy.
I also noticed that she hadn't lowered her katana from the slanted position she had it in across her back. Just as I was about to comment on my notice Sarvwen appeared over her left shoulder.
"Whoa, no need for this to be out now," he said, and gently tugged the katana out of her hand.

Ava didn't seem to care; she continued to scowl at the small silvery mission card as Sarvwen went on to sheath her katana at her waist. I heard soft footfalls coming from behind me and I turned. Zavius was standing next to me, wearing a sullen, childish pouting expression on his face. Apparently, he was still feeling guilty about my fancy flight-n'-landing across the Elder's Hall.
Laughing, I reached up and went to ruffle his already messy hair. But me being short and him very tall, I had to stand on my toes to just barely touch my fingertips to his forehead. Zavius saw me and forced a smile. He even playfully bent his head down just low enough for me to reach the top of his head. I had to laugh.
"So you're okay?" he asked me.
"Perfectly in good condition. Turns out our friend has excellent timing and reflexes." I said with a reassuring grin.
I looked back over at Sarvwen. He winked back and flashed me one of his crooked grins.

Ava gave one tired sigh, and slipped the silver card into her trench coat pocket. She came over to where we were, Sarvwen following.
"Are we ready to get going?" she asked. "Seems like we're going to be busy today. As for the business with the Sir Elder, I'll return later."
With that, she started towards the entrance end of the Elder's Hall.

"Halt," came a voice, controlling and deep.