Like a Blazing Fire

Sona! Sona, where are you?!

...You're being a little loud, Ashlock.

Sorry, Justyna, I didn't see you there.

Wait, what are you doing in front of Sona's room? Are you looking for her too?

Mm.

Where is she?

Don't know.

...Whatever, I'll spare her for now.

I know you only just joined us. It's normal to have questions.

You can ask me. I might be able to help.

...No, it isn't about the Knightclub.

I wanted to tell Sona I'll help out at her bar after all.

Oh, I see then. True, I can't help with that.

...

Hold on!

What did you just say? Bar? Sona?

Mm. Didn't you know?

I... Was I meant to know?

I don't know.

So what did you need her for?

I need her so I can tear her head off.

But change of plans. I'm going to figure out just when the hell she opened a bar behind my back, and then she dies.

So can you tell me why she has a bar, and also, how you know about it?

...Okay.

...

So. You've come.

...Why are you... standing behind the counter?

Because I am now the stand-in owner of this private bar.

...What?

Haven't gotten a chance to tell Ashley and the rest about it yet. You're the first to know.

Why?

At first, I was just coming here to relax from time to time.

After a while, I got pretty chummy with the old boss of the place.

And then I found out he used to be a director at the G.C.C., before he got targeted for offending some Knightclub.

He couldn't take that. Quit his job in anger, opened up this little place.

I helped unhassle a few hassles for him. He's recently rediscovered his passion for his old work, and now he's gone back to where he says he belongs.

So, he handed the bar over for me to manage.

...I feel like, you just described a dramatic story very undramatically.

You wanna hear it? I can tell you over a drink.

I thought—you invited me here... to orient me into the Knightclub.

All I can tell you is the booze rack here's pretty darn good.

So you asked me out for drinks?

Unfortunately! I asked you out so you could watch the bar for me. I've got stuff to handle later tonight.

We can all come here for drinks next time.

Why me?

Cause... you don't have to do much of anything here, really. You just pour your patrons a drink, listen to their stories, and tell 'em what they need to hear every now and then.

And my gut says you're the best listener out of all of us.

So how about it?

...I can try.

Okay, come over here, I'll teach you some bartending fundamentals...

After she left, a steady stream of Infected arrived. She must have made sure people in the club knew about it.

By chatting with them, I more or less got a handle on the Knightclub's present situation.

Whether it was on purpose or not, I'm glad she gave me that opportunity.

...

Your turn, Ashlock.

What has she done to make you want to kill her?

She—

Hey, what're you two doing here too? Where's Sona?

Wish I knew.

Oh. Well, sure, I'll wait too then.

...What have you got there, Iwona?

Oh, this? Camcorder. Sona lent it to me.

A camcorder? Tch, I knew it, that scoundrel...

What are you doing with it, though?

Uh, nothing big.

Sona spent all last night teaching me how to shoot with it. I'm just here to give it back.

Ohh. I see...

Excuse me? Last night?

Yeah, last night.

What the hell was she doing at your place last night?!

She was there 'cause she was there. Is that weird?

She was with US last night!

And since when did the almighty Wild Mane Knight want to learn photography? For that matter, when did SONA learn it? EVERYTHING about this is weird!

Ashlock, I think it's just as weird that you came here wanting to kill her...

I... I—*sigh* I'll explain that in a bit.

First, Iwona, tell me what happened last night.

Oh, sure.

Sona, I'm here.

Cool.

Funding-wise, we're gonna have issues caring for our club's Infected, I know it.

Now, I bet you called me here to chat about my recent win-loss.

I know, I haven't been putting up good results lately, but I—

Iwona, don't stretch yourself thin.

But—I wanna put in the work for our club!

Catch.

What the... A camcorder?

Sure is.

I made a friend lately, an elderly guy. He taught me some photography tricks, and tipped me off about a certain contact who'll let us make cash for shooting.

Contact's anonymous, only cares about the end product, so the work's open to Infected too.

So you're telling me, it's time I tried a side job?

Exactly. You're not alone—everyone goes through rough spots from time to time. Couldn't hurt to shake things up.

But... I don't know a damn thing about using a camera, though?

That's fine, I didn't either at first. Turns out it's not all that complicated.

First off, look here. This is the shutter, this is the lens, this is your screen.

You focus the lens on what you wanna shoot, press the shutter, and whatever you're shooting gets recorded in here...

H-Huh, alright...

Real simple, ain't it? There's a lotta skill to camerawork—I only started picking it up myself recently.

First, what we wanna do is learn how lighting affects a photo...

Um, uh, mrm...

...And then Sona spent a solid hour walking me through it.

Can you use it now?

I... gave up in the end.

Well, it's only your first time...

No, Justyna, you don't understand.

Imagine Sona's telling you about lighting and composition and focal length and all this stuff like it's obvious, but you don't get it, but she doesn't get that you don't get it—

And you're like, I'm screwed.

...

Sona was trying her damndest to teach me. I know, I know she means well for me.

But I seriously can't do it.

I can—not—UNDERSTAND THIS STUFF!

Maybe... you could try learning something else?

No, Sona didn't teach me for nothing.

I'm gonna remember last night's photography lesson forever. From now on, every time I step into the arena, I'm gonna use what I went through to motivate me—

If I don't clinch a victory in there, I'm gonna have to learn photography with Sona.'

You could tell me to go and mend things with my family right now and it still wouldn't be as cruel as that. This way, I'm determined to win.

...That's one way to make use of it, I suppose.

Ashlock, why did you suddenly go... silent?

... (Muttering) Photography. So that's what it was about.

Ashlock?

You were curious why I wanted to kill Sona, right?

I'm... not that curious anymore, actually.

No, this concerns both of your futures, so I'm obligated to tell you.

It's that serious?!

...No, I think things are getting less and less serious.

Ashley, aren't you supposed to be up in the arena right now?

Look at the message you sent!

'Don't worry about the match, Ashley. I'll be behind the scenes pulling out all the stops for you.'

Yeah, I told you not to worry about it, right?

Who reads a message like this and thinks 'okay then, I won't worry'?!

Jeez, Ashley, you just love stressing out for other people.

So, just what are you doing here?

Ever since the Radiant Knight came back, certain people have been pretty restless.

Certain people?

I dunno who exactly, I just know they definitely don't want what's best for the Infected, and the Radiant Knight's putting them in crisis mode.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have gone for the ancient old tactic of a PR video swaparoo.

You don't mean...

Yup. Yours, Ashley.

Look, they still haven't given up.

How did you find this place?

If I said... a friend told me, wouldja believe me?

Hmph. Who'd make friends with an Infected?

Either way, now that you know we're here, we'll just have to dispatch the two of you!

Ashley, ready to warm up for a match?

...Way ahead of you.

Where's Ashlock Knight?! She's the one I came to see!

Yeah! Ashlock Knight's the whole reason anyone came here! I want a refund!

(Whispers) You still haven't found her?!

No!

(Whispers) What do we do, then?! She was top billing tonight!

I don't know either! ...Shit, wait, I just got word from the director.

He says, roll Ashlock Knight's PR reel first, because she'll be out any moment.

(Whispers) ...You for real?

Director says he'll shoulder the blame.

(Whispers) Then we'll do it.

Now I know you're all hungry to see Ashlock Knight burst onto the scene, but hold your beasties—Pinus Sylvestris Knightclub has just let us in on her brand new PR reel.

So why don't we get the refreshments out and watch!

That's not what it means to be a knight.

My one duty in the arena is to defeat the enemy.

I don't take to the field in order to please them.

Also, stop filming me.

*sigh*... Thank you.

Thank you for your letter, and I appreciate your support.

I sincerely wish you and your lover a happy life together. When you decide a date for the wedding, please let me know, and I will send a card to congratulate you.

Signed, Ashlock Knight—Greynuty.

...That should be sufficient.

Now for the next letter.

...*sigh* How come I have so many letters? I hope I can reply to all of these before dinner.

What's that sound?

Ashlock Knight's such a hero on the field, though! Is she really THAT cute in private?!

I had no idea she had this side to her, yet I called myself her fan! I-I-I—I'm gonna go buy all her merch right now!

...

Phew—how's that? Turned out pretty good, right?

Sona! Wh-What the hell did you just broadcast?!

Well, a cute slice of your life, right?

Relax, I edited it myself. Everything sensitive got scrubbed out.

Isn't that meant to be a promotional video for our Knightclub?!

Yeah, so I've been thinking about that this whole time.

Our club's not gonna beat any of the corp-backed Knightclubs when it comes to cash or clout.

We'll never be a match for them if we go up against them using common sense. We need a wildcard.

WHAT KIND OF WILDCARD WAS THAT?!

Think about it, Ashley. The way other Knightclubs promote their knights, it's so showy, so superficial.

But I think, what really endears people to someone is those cute, awkward moments no one else knows about.

And that's where our Knightclub has the others beat!

We're always working alongside each other, so we know each other's charm points down to a T!

You...

You just relax. I'm willing to bet you everyone will love these promos.

I mean, the whole time I was editing them, I couldn't help thinking how cute they were!

...You're not telling me, you edited EVEN MORE of those?

Yeah. Yours, Iwona's, and a couple other members'.

I was considering doing one for our new recruit Justyna too, but I didn't have much inspiration for her at the time, so for now we just gotta get to know each other better.

YOU—

Ashlock Knight, what are you doing here?! We've been looking for you forever!

Huh? What's Flametail Knight doing here t... yeek! What happened to all those people?!

You go tell the director he's got a little trash to sweep up here. I figure the garbage truck'll be passing by soon.

Er, okay. Anyway, Ashlock Knight, come with me quick, your match is underway!

—

You wait here, Sona.

I'm heading into the arena to dispatch my opponent, and then I'm coming back to dispatch you.

Do you see now? That's why I'm here to end her life.

I see.

More and more, I feel like joining Pinus Sylvestris was the right decision.

...And what exactly in our conversation could've led you to THAT conclusion?

Lots.

If my guess is correct, the bar owner Sona took over for is the one who taught her photography.

And at the same time, he's the 'friend' she said told her about the PR problem—the director for your match.

...I'm sorry?

In that bar, she met the ex-director turned bar owner, made friends with him, then learned some photography from him later.

Not only that, she cleared up the haze hanging over him, and made him willing to hand management of the bar over to her and return to his own work.

Finally, he noticed something was wrong with your promo, and notified Sona straight away.

That's my understanding.

For serious?

All I got out of it was that last night, she taught Justyna how to run a bar, then sprinted over to my place to teach me how to work the camera, then went and solved the thing with Greynuty's PR vid for her.

I knew she was fast, but that's screwy fast!

Seen another way, it shows that she never lets the problems each member of her Knightclub faces escape her.

You're right. Incredible, she is, that Sona.

Wait, wait, why do you two admire her MORE now?!

Because seeing the reality, I have to admit... she's a leader far beyond what I imagined.

Maybe she's just lucky, you don't know.

Then I have a question.

I once had the idea of establishing a Knightclub, and looked into it. So I know—

It'd be almost impossible for an Infected to form a Knightclub focused on Infected.

So in the course of founding Pinus Sylvestris, did you ever run into any difficulties?

...

Now you mention it, after Sona said she was going to found a Knightclub, there was a little while before she brought me straight here.

And told me that as of today, this would be Pinus Sylvestris's base.

...That settles it then. Every last thing I thought impossibly hard to deal with, she dealt with.

How hard?

Harder than you actually getting to tear off her head today, perhaps.

...Tch.

She's always like this, never telling me a damn thing.

I haven't known her for long, but I've never once seen her just say what's on her mind like that.

Ashlock, you're her closest companion. If she were ever in a difficult place, I don't think she'd keep it from you.

What are you trying to tell me?

That maybe, you've gotten it into your head... that she won't share her burdens with you.

But maybe... the reason she never tells you is just because... none of it registers as difficult for her.

From her perspective, she's not hiding problems she doesn't want to drag you into, she's just...

Dealing with things naturally as they come, and there's never much about them she needs to share.

That... does seem like the way she'd do things.

Wild Mane just said Sona did three things yesterday.

But maybe, it's just that we only know of three things.

Who knows. Maybe there were five, ten, or even more.

To Sona, the photography Iwona found so hard might've just been one of the many skills in her pocket.

Maybe, a day in her life is more full than any of us can imagine.

...

Man, that was fun stuff. I've gotta find someone to spar with me, ASAP.

Sona?!

Huh? Hey, the whole gang's here.

Morning, Ashley, everyone.

Morn... wait, why did you come out of the training grounds?

Don't tell me you were there all night?!

Sure was.

After I got back from the arena last night, I watched a little Left-hand Knight footage, did a little solo training.

Slept right there in the training grounds.

...sakes.

You—You did all of that yesterday and STILL felt like staying behind and training?!

By all of that, you mean... all of what exactly?

Taking Justyna to the bar, teaching Iwona photography, sorting out my PR reel? Was that not enough for you?

Ahh—that's just 'cause everything just happened to line up in the evening.

...

Whassup, Ashley?

You look like you're gonna fall apart there. What's wrong? Talk to me. Who knows, I might be able to help?

...

You're the cause, okay...

Me...? Something wrong with me?

Look, putting that aside, studying those Left-hand Knight tapes gave me a pretty fun idea I'm sitting on right now.

C'mon, let's go test it out.

...

Tch. I've decided.

You filmed me in secret, so now I'm going to film you back.

Sure! I was just thinking I had no one to shoot my own promo.

All day today, I'm going to follow you. Wherever you go, I'll go with you.

I'm going to see just how much you can do in a single day!

Haha, that's a lotta pep in your step for you, Ashley! Heck yeah!

And we'll start with me laying you flat on the ground!

Let's roll!

...Hey, wait up, Sona, take your camcorder back first!

...The Infected have no place to go.

But together with these people, with Flametail Knight Sona... perhaps, Justyna the Infected can go anywhere.