Gracie and Hake Meet

He also finishes the rest, replying shortly after with a slight smile.

"Yes, his family helps out with SCOA. They make up most of our majors here at the main HQ actually. Hack here however is a prodigy, and because of that I grew up with him and my brother as a kid. We had, or rather still have quite a strong chemistry. Hack is incredible with his swordsmanship, Blaze's mind is near impossible to beat when it comes to wisdom and leadership, and I'm a good mix of both. Heh... Just thinking back on it is nostalgic."

Gracie grinned at Maxwell as he said so, raising an eyebrow and looking between the two "How nice. So, you're both swordsmen then? Or were you saying you're a 'good mix' simply in terms of fighting prowess?"

"We're both swordsmen, albeit we use completely different weapons. Hack here uses a katana, his weapon could use some upgrades but he refuses. My weapon is a greatsword with a gun attachment on it, it looks impractical but I'm able to swing it quite easily."

Gracie nodded slowly as Maxwell said so, chuckling to herself as she replied "That sounds... Yeah, I think impractical just about sums it up. But hey, whatever works!" She added, before turning back to Hake "So, 'Hack'. I realise we haven't been formally introduced yet. My name is Gracie Montero, nice to meet you!" She said, holding out a hand to him as she did

Hake sighs when she calls him 'Hack', shaking her hand anyways with a firm grip.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well. My name is Hakesura Tsunenage, though most call me Hake for the sake of simplicity. Not 'Hack', Max never bothered to correct it..."

Eyeing at Maxwell to the side when he mentions his name.

Gracie laughed at Hake as he eyed Maxwell, looking back to Maxwell "Aww, you have a pet name for him! How cute." She said with a grin, returning her gaze to Hake "Nice to meet you, Hake. I do recognise the name, now that I think about it. You're hoping to outrank your whole family in one fell swoop, is that it?"

His lips twitch slightly when she calls it a 'pet name,' as if he was about to form an expression but quickly stifled it. After this reaction, he nods and drinks the rest of his tea, setting it down on the pan in front of them.

"Yes, I've been touted as 'The Chosen One' within my clan, so much so that they believe I can challenge The Undefeated Champion. It was a bit overwhelming for me as a child to bear but I've managed to overcome many obstacles, even in times where I doubted my abilities. If all goes well and I become Blaze's right hand, then I complete my goal of outranking all of my family."

Gracie raised an eyebrow at him when he mentioned the 'Undefeated champion', before chuckling to herself "In that case, why don't you do that instead? I'm almost certain it's a more... Lucrative paying job."

He shakes his head. "Sorry, but no. A fighter is not a job for me, I'm more familiar with SCOA and it would not be in line with my goal. I will not deny their skill however, I've witnessed the sport a few times and have seen incredible feats."

Gracie shrugged at him as he said so, grinning as she began to make her way out of the room, giving a wave to both Maxwell and Hake as she did, saying "So I see. Well, as lovely as it's been talking to you boys, I've got some work to do before tomorrow. I'll see you both at whatever the admiral has planned for us."

Hakesura bows at her before waving, giving her a stoic expression.

"I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow."

After that's said, he turns away from Gracie, exiting on the other side of the room.

"I've work to do as well, I pray you've grown significantly since our last encounter, Max. I've high expectations from you considering you made it this far."

With that said, he leaves the area completely.

He nods, grinning at Hake's back as he leaves. "You and Blaze will see, I'm not the weakling I used to be." With that said, he takes his leave as well.

The next day, Blaze had gathered them all in the same room as before, and once they were all present, he entered the room himself, sitting at the table in front of them, before saying "Good morning, all of you. I hope you are well rested, and ready to tackle what I have in store for you today. As I mentioned earlier, there will be two main challenges. One testing your combat ability, and another testing your leadership, and tactical prowess." As he spoke, his eyes scanned over the 3 people in front of him, gauging their reaction as he continued "Today, you are each going to be planning a siege, of these headquarters. The one who comes up with the most well thought out, and best explained methodology, wins. Any questions?"

Gracie grinned in response to hearing about the task, shaking her head as she said "Nope, none at all, Admiral. This is where I shine, and I intend to show it." She added, before looking back at Maxwell and Hake "Sorry boys, but I've got this task in the bag! I'll let you two have your.... swordfight later on."

He nods at Blaze, acknowledging the mission he's been given. After Gracie speaks up, he leans forward slightly and gives her a ಠ_ಠ expression, his forehead comedically turning a dark purple.

"......"

He gets the same comedic purple pale expression as Hake, only this time she's giving Gracie a look of 'Eugh, don't say it like that!'

"Eugh, don't say it like that!"

Blaze, however, turned red for a completely different reason, trying to stifle his laughter. He managed to maintain a somewhat serious expression, as he said "The winner of this competition will also receive a strong advantage when it comes to the combat round. As for what that is... You'll have to wait and see. However, if there are no other questions.." He said, as he rose to his feet "Start planning. I expect you to send me your full plans by the end of the day."

Gracie, however, held no such qualms about laughing at them, shaking her head slightly before saying "I'm just saying! This advantage is going to be mine." She said with a grin, slipping out of her chair, and heading back to her room

He shakes off the expression, grinning back at her with aggressive eyes. Standing up from his seat with his hands on the table. "We'll see about that!" With that said, he turns away quickly and leaves the room with heated motivation.

"Hmph, in that case I expect you to defeat me in this branch, Gracie." Hake gingerly gets up from his chair, popping his back before he leaves the room as well.

After a few minutes he enters the bar, still having his two weapons on him. He's holding a black notebook with his right hand, a pen lodged in the spine of the notebook. "I'm here, what's this all about now?" He asks with a brow slightly raised, unsure why Gracie invited him on such an important day.

Gracie held in a laugh as he entered with his weapons, shaking her head slightly and facepalming as she stood up from a barstool to greet him, stepping up towards him as she said "What, are you averse to having a little fun now and then?"

He looks at her for a few seconds before sighing, replying with. "Gracie... We are ordered to perform an important task for the Admiral. Today is not a good day for amusement."

Gracie raised an eyebrow at him as he said so, cocking her head at him as she said "You aren't done yet?" Before she noticed the pen and notepad in his hand as well "Wait, did you think I called you here for us to work? You're out of your mind..." She said, hanging her head, before dragging him towards a barstool "Come on, get a drink, loosen up a little!"