Apologize

“Alright, Mr. Ixwich, let’s see how you did,” the strict woman said, flipping her notebook back a few pages. “You were the first to escape the prison, which bodes well for you. Your unique powerset allows you to circumvent most technological forms of magic suppression, though it is likely still possible with suppression fields. Such devices are wildly expensive and not the standard,” she scribbled something down before moving on.

“You identified not only eight but twelve real people inside the prison, which is no small feat. Altogether, you performed the best out of everyone here. It’s a shame, really, that you failed,” she concluded, pushing her glasses up and closing her notebook.

“Thank you, thank-” Ixwich began, but turned toward her furious when he realized what she had said. “I performed perfectly! You said it yourself I passed both tasks with flying colors! Why on Earth would I fail?” the electrical man demanded, rising from his chair and slamming his fist on the table.

“Firstly, you attempted to tamper with the test and influence the guards with what little power over barriers you have - a power you neglected to mention having. Secondly, you lied to and betrayed your fellow applicants - teammates in this scenario - and left them for dead. The bounty hunters are a team, and it is rare you’ll be working alone. Such an attitude is a danger not only to the Rider-Waite name but your fellow members.” Ixlius looked angrier by the minute, and lightning sparked around his hands as she went on.

“Finally, even after escaping, you attempted to sabotage the escape plan of your teammates by once again attempting to alter the minds of the false guards to set them on high alert. You thought you had succeeded in altering the barrier, but in reality the fateweaver in charge saw what you were doing and reported it to me, causing minor changes for a short time so you would think you were successful. Please leave, Mr. Ixwich, you are unwanted here. You will not be told twice,” Jessica instructed, pointing toward the door with the hand holding her quill.

“Who’s going to make me? Some bitch who isn’t even a part of the combat division?” he yelled, reaching back to throw a lightning spear at her. John recognized the motion and created a Mana Construct in front of their instructor which shattered but protected her nonetheless. Abigail stood up, legs blazing, but was interrupted by Albyn.
“That’s quite enough, Mr. Ixwich,” she said, and in an instant she had her assaulter trapped in a translucent green prism. Ixlius was banging on the sides and discharging lightning. She walked over to it and opened a tear in the air with her quill, tilting the prism in. “He will be charged with attempted **** on a guild member. Your efforts are appreciated, Mr. Newman and Ms. Firenzia, but the situation was under control. As you were trying to help, you will not be charged for the carpet you just singed.” after saying that, their instructor laughed for a moment before stifling it. An unnatural yet pleasant sound. John had the feeling she didn’t laugh very often.

Abigail’s fire dimmed down and she retook her seat as their grader continued, “Since you’re so eager, how about we look at your score next?

“To put it shortly, you probably handled this situation the best out of the remaining three people here. You worked well with others, never revealed your hand, and if this were an actual prison break, would probably be the only person to have actually escaped. Your restraint when fighting against the guards in the yard was unexpected - your psychological profile suggested that you’d likely end up as Bruno did, trying to use nothing but brute ****. I was pleasantly surprised to find that you hid your power, bided your time, and if not for the interruption of John Newman, would have made it out without a hitch in your plan,” Jessica finished, reading the notes she had taken on Abigail. Apparently, she had somehow been watching them the whole time. At least, that’s how it seemed.

“As for the identification portion, seven of the eight people you identified were real, one female guard was not. Even such a minor mistake would normally be enough to put you on the waiting list, but given your exemplary performance during the practical portion of the test, I’m putting you through to the final trial. It helps that you identified the only real male prisoner, though I suspect you had some assistance with that,” Jessica explained, her eyes going to John. “You will have a day of rest in an assigned dormitory before the final test. Please head to the second floor for your assigned room, which you will share with three other people. If you wish to request a specific roommate or roommates, please give their name or I.D. number. If they request you as well, it will more than likely be granted. Save any further questions for the secretary.” Abigail pumped her fist up in the air when her review was over, jumping with joy.

“Yes! I did it! Um, if you don’t mind, I’d like to stay for John’s score as well,” Abigail requested, causing John to turn to her, surprised. “Well, you know, it’ll be easier to request to be roommates if we ask at the same time.” John thought that sounded far-fetched, and the gloaty smile on her face made him think her motive was closer to “I want to brag that I’m the only reason you won.”

“With that in mind, I’ll conduct your exit session next, Mr. Newman. You are probably the most balanced performer here. Undoubtedly, you were the one who identified the only real prisoner, something few before you have done. Be it through luck or skill, it would take an incredible amount of both.” Though John had no doubt that Abigail was going to brag after this, he took the opportunity to shoot her a smug look.

“Your skepticism of Ixwich shows your character judgement skills are average, he was a generally suspicious individual. Your choice to surrender to the guards in the yard shows that you had an apt assessment of the situation. You fought to your limits and surrendered when victory truly became impossible. In such a stressful situation, few would have the mind to do so.” The praise boosted his confidence, which didn’t last very long.

“Though you performed well, much of your escape was thanks to luck or intentional error. One of the members acting as a guard intentionally left the food slot of the solitary confinement door open. Though this could be a simple error, it is unlikely. A situation like that would probably not present itself to you in a real prison. In addition, without the assistance of Ms. Firenzia, you likely would have been caught in the warden’s office or would have shot out the window and been caught on the roof. Escape is likely in either scenario, but certainly not as clean. Still, you two made a good team.” John didn’t have to look at Abigail to know that she was looking at him as smugly as he had at her a few moments ago.

“All in all, your performance is above average for a member of the class you were assigned to. Certainly enough to push you through to the next test. As I told Ms. Firenzia, please head to the second floor for your next assignment.”

“That went really good!” Abigail exclaimed as they walked down the stairs, having no need to race down them now that they had nothing else to do for the day.

“Sure did! And apparently we were only in that barrier for… about three hours!” John said, checking his phone for any messages from Jenny. Upon seeing none, he decided to call her.

“Go on ahead for a second, I’m just going to call my girlfriend and see how she’s doing,” John explained. Abigail gave him a thumbs up as she sped up slightly to give him some room. John decided that he’d walk outside and call her, rather than do it in the lobby, so he made his way out and pressed call. The call went through, but the voice on the other end was not the one he was expecting.