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"...and the newcomers are settling in pretty well. One of them is even a teacher, so we might be able to begin dividing classes further," Juli said. She turned the page over in her notes. She didn't need them; virtually everything she had to say was committed to memory, but she felt more secure having them anyway. She looked up from the notebook. "I think it'll be a good move. There's been some behavioral issues among some of the students and the extra challenge might settle them."

That wasn't all that Juli had to report to Giorno Giovanna, but she thought she pause for comment while they were still on a high note.

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"Yeah." Juli fooled with her bangs. "It sounds like he wants me to join too."

“Oh! Well, that’s not at all surprising.”

"I'm... really not the leader type."

Edited 2024-09-24 21:44 (UTC)

Zelda smiled. “People look up to you. I don’t think I’ve heard ever heard one unkind word about you. Not only that…”

"What?" Now Juli was getting self-conscious.

"Well..." Zelda pondered over how to say it. "Perhaps Giorno was asking for himself just as much as everyone else."

"You think so?" Juli hadn't considered that before. "It's just... I'm no good at being a leader. I've always felt more comfortable just being support."

"I understand." She did. Too well. And far be it from her to put more pressure on anyone when she knew what it was like to be on the other end of it.

"If it helps...whatever way you choose to contribute will be more than enough."

"What about you? Would you feel comfortable being part of the council?"

Zelda returned to the map view of her slate and fixed it with a long look. She had covered a lot of ground since she arrived and had documented the villa and the terrain surrounding it 10 miles out. In every way one went, there was so much to discover--she didn't feel that she had even uncovered even most of the local secrets. Secrets that, if she found the answers to them, would help everyone.

She didn't have magic, but she had her mind. She was already putting it to far greater use than she ever had.

"Perhaps comfortable isn't the right word, but...I believe there's far more I have to contribute. I would accept."

Juli took in Zelda's words for a minute, really letting them sink in. Was there something she could contribute? Well... the people back home seemed to think pretty highly of her to put her in a leadership position. And Giorno and Zelda seemed to think highly of her too.

But what if she disappointed them? She'd let down a lot of people on the Ryvius and it really caused a lot of problems.

"Do you really think there's something I can contribute?" Juli hated being so insecure about this... but she felt comfortable around Zelda in a way she didn't with the rest of the Zwei.

Zelda looked back up. When she looked at Juli, she really did see herself.

She wondered what her mother would have said right then.

"In Hyrule, an essential teaching is that power can never be upheld for it's own sake. A leader must have the wisdom to not only have the answers but admit when they don't. A leader isn't someone who lacks fear, but is courageous enough to act in spite of it. A leader who can question themselves is not only a good thing, but necessary."

Zelda nodded, growing more confident as she spoke. She had never been called upon in quite this way before, but she felt strongly about making sure her words reached the other girl.

"And, in my view...you have the most important foundation of leadership--compassion. Beyond your numerous contributions, you're always showing up for others in all the small and quiet ways. Everyone sees it. And...no one person can be expected to lead alone. If you chose this role, you would have my full support. And Giorno's, I'm sure."

Zelda's words did hit true, and it showed in the worry evaporating somewhat from her face. It wasn't completely gone -- Juli would always harbor some doubt -- but it was better than it was before.

"Then... so long as I have your support, I think I'll accept."

Zelda brightened—and right then, her vision snapped to the Sheikah Slate as it chimed at her.

“…Oh!” Zelda squinted. “It seems…there’s another person…?”

"Another person?" Juli refocused her attention to the slate. "Hopefully friendly." Giorno had gone out with enough firepower if he needed it, but Juli REALLY hoped he didn't need it.

~~

The worst thing about getting close to the crash site was the smoke—Chilchuck had to get used to the new feeling of his neck warmer pulled over his face paired with a set of goggles. The fabric was augmented with some kind of…plant matter…that Giorno had used his magic on. Said it would filter the air. He was doing his best not to think too hard about the feeling of it against his sensitive skin.

He was leading the pack as he always did—he had light feet and much stronger senses than the others. It wouldn’t do if someone ran ahead carelessly and fell in a hole or got crushed by a falling tree.

“…Hey!” Chilchuck called through the organic matter and the fabric at a hazy figure through the smoke. He could tell right away that they were stumbling a bit—injured no doubt.

Dammit.

Shepard winced as she heard a voice call out to her through the smoke. She wasn't sure if it was from the pain in one side or the frustration at herself for crashing the Normandy close enough to people that they were here before she even had time to evacuate the ship. She hoped to make her exit first; it was the only small advantage she'd have if Zaibach managed to follow her to the Normandy's crash site.

Plans began to stir in Shepard's head as she moved through the fog, hands held up as if in surrender. If it was Zaibach, should she surrender or put up a fight? With her hands up, she looked defenseless, but if she decided last minute surrender wasn't the way to go, she could still use her biotics to take care of things.

"I'm not here to hurt anyone," she said, separated by the hazy smoke that divided her from the voice. It was true; she preferred not to fight unless someone gave her a reason. She hoped that the other person didn't give her a reason to.

Chilchuck squinted—it was hard to see, but the voice was unmistakably a woman’s. She didn’t seem hostile…quite the opposite.

“Are you injured badly?”

Shepard thought a second before she answered. "I am, but not badly."

Chilchuck gestured to the others to stay where they were and hanging back. He could hear the wariness in her voice, and he could hardly fault her.

“Here, walk towards me. There are four other men with me. We’re from a small community just up the hill. We can help.”

"Okay," Shepard said. "I'm coming out."

She emerged from behind the smokey haze. She squinted, trying to adjust her eyes to the new light. As her vision adjusted, she was greeted by the sight of a young boy. A child. She didn't know whether or not to feel relieved or more wary; some groups had no problems using children to get the upper hand.

"Where are the others?" He had said there were four of them total, but she only saw one.

“I’m not a kid, by the way.” She—whoever she was—was clearly adept with controlling her demeanor but Chilchuck was too used to seeing the skeptical glint in peoples’ eyes.

When he gave the signal, the others descended from further up the path. The biggest guy had a portable stretcher on his back.

“Can you walk alright? It’s about a mile and a half’s trek.”

Shepard raised an eyebrow. Not a kid? She almost said it aloud, but managed to stop her lips from moving.

"Yeah, should be able to make it."

’She’s strong.’ That was what Giorno thought when he saw her. When their eyes met, he could tell right away she was trying to study him as much as he was her.

He could already tell there was no one else around when he had touched the tree he was stationed against earlier. It was just her. He gave Chilchuck a slight nod to progress and lead the way back. It was dangerous to linger too long.

“I’m Giorno,” he said, introducing himself and then the others. “For lack of a better word, we’re from a group of refugees.”

"I'm Shepard." Titles were meaningless here, so she didn't bother with them. "I think we are all refugees at this point."