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Carmine thinks often about her brother. It's natural, really; as his big sister, she is supposed to be responsible for him, isn't she? Carmine, big sister of the world, the one her meek brother always hid behind and who could barely hold a conversation most of the time, she always was thinking of him. She always knew he was going to grow out of his shell in time, and there's a part of her that wants to be proud of her brother for his accomplishments. He worked his butt off and became Champion of the BB League, and he's got all of the strength he could ever want and more. What's there to be so worried about?
Plenty.
Carmine has heard it all around the Academy, after all. About the League Club's new high turnover rate, about how Kieran has become a harsh taskmaster of a trainer. How he expects the best from his League Club, only the best, and anyone who's weak is cut off without exception or hesitation. The League Club has become everyone's least favorite club, and even the Elites seem to be at a loss. It's something Amarys' confides to her about on occasion, when she isn't busy doing work in the Canyon Biome. She keeps things running on schedule, but even she misses the person her brother was. It feels so bleak, talking to Amarys sometimes; the three Elites who actually try are at their wits end, and Drayton doesn't seem inclined to do anything at all. Not that Carmine is surprised, given how useless he always was. Strength really was all that human Slakoth had going for him.
She's heard more than her fair share of whispers. Sure, most people wouldn't be caught dead actually asking questions about what happened, given Carmine's own short fuse and the seemingly sensitive nature of the subject. She heard rumors that he kicked someone out just for asking what changed him. He's become something of a tyrant, they say.
Not surprising given who he's related to, someone said once, when they thought she wasn't listening.
They're so lucky that she simply elected to walk away that day. She would've been tempted to give them a hell of a dirt nap, otherwise.
But it hits, the more she thinks about it. About how much time she's spent stacking extracurriculars on top of herself to avoid having to deal with him. About how she's taken so many more classes, just to avoid thinking about her brother and what he's become. About how she wants to erase that stupid--stupid trip, in it's entirety, and how she just wants her brother back. She wants her stupid little Kiki back, the one who was so meek and shy, and there's a brief moment that Carmine wonders what could actually help at this point. She wonders if there's anything she can do, and she's never felt more powerless in her life, and the more she thinks about it the more she worries she's going to actually get into a fight and say something she'll never be able to take back--
Carmine has to take a chance. It's a long shot. A very, very long shot.
She knocks on the door to Director Cyrano's office.
"Director, are you in? I have something I want...no, I need to ask about."