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—START—
Summer mornings were not her thing lately.
In this unfamiliar room she was staying, far away from the Tracen Academy she had gotten used too for the good part of a year and a half on this training camp, something felt off.
Putting it into words was impossible, existing more like a feeling that anything else. Everything was clean, the service at the inn was good nor was there something objectively wrong with the room itself.
Her Trainer was as first class as her, they would never be so uncouth as to give someone of her capability and stature an unfit lodging. They had done their part and gotten her a place to rest during this training camp that reminded her very much of her old room back home.
Maybe not in the style or the furniture but rather the class and reverence the room was given, the same regal image she gave to everyone displayed in a room.
Still, for King Halo this room was just wrong to look at, it unsettled her.
(5:30 am) Her gaze lingered towards the alarm sitting on the bedside, too early too meet up with her Trainer yet too late to fall back asleep without loosing a good part of the day. “It would seem…it is time for this King’s day to begin”
The usual exuberance of her voice was dimmed, both tiredness and her already confusing thoughts on this room would not allow her to do more.
Slowly she got out of her bed, hair as messy as it could be, sitting a few moments before standing up. “How chilly” The pajama she’d brought was not very cozy, accounting for the fact that it was summer yet the morning breeze made Halo shiver.
Taking things slow King Halo handled her morning routine, combing her hair, washing her face, a bit of skin care, brushing her tail, putting on her ear warmers, not showering because who’d shower before training, and getting her tracksuit ready for the day.
All under the silence of the night, the sound of her hands moving and clothes moving being her only companion on this early day, an unnerving ambience that had escaped her for a long time in Tracen.
Whether it was her disaster of a roommate Haru Urara or her classmates, the ones called Golden Generation beside her, being loud there had been little to no moments when King Halo stood in silence like this.
(Golden Generation…she would certainly disprove of such) Shaking her head the Umamusume quickly changed attires, hoping a change of airs would wash away any thoughts of that person for now.
Putting the tracksuit on King Halo stepped towards the exit, moving through the halls of the inn with ease and caution to disturb as little people as possible.
Sunlight was still some time off so even if it was considered morning, so the starry sky greeted her when she left through the door, a sight not common within cities on this age post industrialization.
But here? On an in standing atop a cliff over the ocean, a retreat most would consider wonderful and magical? The sky had never looked prettier.
“How Delightful” A captivating collection of lights, each carried for who knows how long over the intensity of the special void, so far yet seemingly embracing some in their light. “…That is…”
Four stars shone brighter than all others in the sky, drawing all the attention to themselves with a fulgor so intense Halo might have thought they were competing for it.
All overshadowing the one lone star which shined better than the rest, yet not enough to match the others.
Goddesses how she pities the lone one.
Her gaze lingered a bit too much on that one before she shook herself off of it, a distraction needed. “Beautiful as the stars might be they don’t compare to this one’s greatness” Thus, she resorted to words, the outlet most confident to herself.
Her words were thrown to the wind, given to an audience that was not there.
Silence answered back to her…or that’s what should have been
“I couldn’t have phrased it better” Coming from the path leading to the inn came a woman, long black hair tied into a high ponytail dressing casually with a shirt and a pair of jeans. “Although I worry that King’s beauty might suffer if she isn’t getting her hours of sleep”
“T-Trainer?!” Panicked King Halo almost trips but her footing is stable enough to keep her standing. “Ejem…this one has no need for explanations, their mind works in ways you could only fail to understand” Instead turning to strike a pose, erasing all signs of sorrow from her face. “And never dare claim my beauty would struggle for such a feeble thing, Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho!”
Soft and sweet was the smile on the trainer’s face. “Right, right, how could I say such a thing” Approaching her assigned partner with ease, never looking at the sky but at her. “Then if King isn’t going back to bed, would she care to accompany me?” Lifting her hand the path forwards strayed from the inn’s direction, wooden planks delimiting a way King had not gone towards in the days she’d been staying here.
Her original idea was to start exercising as soon as possible, leave behind what her heart was humming for every morning here, but to reject such an invitation was beneath her. “Hmph, I suppose entertaining one’s subject is something a first rate racer such as myself should do” It should still serve as a worthy distraction either way.
Trainer chuckled but said nothing else, putting her hands behind their back and walking where she’d pointed before now with King following. (Actually, why would she be out so early as well? How shameful trainer, trying to scold me for something you’ve done yourself)
At first she would have expected the woman to try and dig into her reasons of being awake, in which she would have tried to turn it around to her instead, yet when looking at her nothing but a sense of calmness and a smile was visible.
And now despise walking alongside her chosen Trainer King Halo still found herself uncomfortably surrounded by silence. (What is it with me today?!) The little life around the complex did not make enough sound, the steps of her trainer were also not enough. (This is unbecoming of yourself King)
Whatever it was that bothered her this much, King Halo had no idea how to solve it, her ears flickered from side to side as her tail swayed slowly.
The further along they went the more she was lost in her own head.
“-in-”
Something was missing. (Urgh, pull yourself together King Halo! You’re just having weird thoughts) But what if those thoughts weren’t for nothing. (You should be focusing on training not this) If she couldn’t pull herself together there was a good chance she’d continue loosing her races. (Loosing is not what a first rate Uma should be doing!) Yet that was exactly what she had been doing up until now, loosing.
“King”
(So what?! I shall get my due victory in the Kikuka Sho!) That would never happen if her head was always in the cloud like this. (Why…why does that room feel so wrong? Why is this silence so…engulfing?!) What was it that unnerved her? (This is exactly why mother holds no faith in us!!!)
“King!”
Loudly she heard her name being called, Her line of thought caught before she realized what passed through her mind.
It startled her back into reality with force. “…Epp…” At some point she had stopped moving, her body trembling as discretely as it could subconsciously.
She was standing at the end of the wooden path, beyond it a long plain that composed the rest of the cliffside and under the same sky she’d been watching moments ago.
Her brain caught up to the situation eventually. “oh…Oh…Do f-forgive this one Trainer” She stammered, how could she stammer in such a simple phrase. “It would seem like so tranquil is this morning that I found myself getting lost in it”
Their eyes met.
Trainer forced their eyes to meet, to see into King’s Brownish orange eyes, towering a full head over her while staring. “King” With eyes so full of concern that it made her heart feel relieved by their mere existence. “Something has been going on since the start of training camp”
If Halo could get any more tense than she already was then her body would have reacted to that comment. (Of course she noticed, how could she not notice) When your trainer was as attentive and good as a first rate should be this kind of care was a basic requirement. “Trainer I believe-”
“I am aware you wish to handle your own difficulties” Her words were cut short by the human woman in front of her, not once had her face moved to break the line of sight. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t rely on me when needed”
Such sincerity was dazzling even when the stars were the only light in the sky, King Halo couldn’t keep quiet much longer in front of her not with how much devotion had already been given to her by this person.
Her first races, the Satsuki Sho, the Japanese Derby, training every day, meal planning, dance practice, shopping with her, fun outings, even her birthday party.
For every single one of those events and more this woman had made it her mission to deliver the best for her King, having taken care of her woes and pains in ways nobody else had done for her.
And once more she stood there, looking towards her and only her.
Tangled in themselves the words never left her mouth. “…I…I…” Instead King Halo took a step forward, an arm wrapping itself on the waist of her trainer while the other went over her shoulder.
For a moment her trainer was surprised, displays of affection like this weren’t something King did, normally started by her when things didn’t go well.
She kneeled to make the hold more comfortable for her trainee. “I…don’t like this place” A complain was voiced, a whisper barely audible. “A king should be able to handle everything thrown their way, a first rate should adapt to any and all adversities”
Even if she couldn’t have thought of an answer before. “But it’s too quiet here” In saying it out loud the answer was revealed easily.
That was all, everything which made this entire place so suffocating to Halo revolved around that singular detail. Despite all her claims of preferring tranquility, despite being seen as not refined or dignified to chatter endlessly and pointlessly, Halo had found solace on those things.
Bickering with Seiun Sky over small things, chasing and taking care of Haru Urara, literally just living around El Condor Pasa or Special Week.
Tracen was as lively as it was loud, in every corner there was a face as unique and special as any other and everyone got their own place in it.
Nothing like her mother’s house, the cold place that raised her with objectivity and discipline.
Without noticing Halo had been sucked into it all and relished in it, the shields that house had created meant nothing there, in the place where she could be King Halo.
Not the daughter of Goodbye Halo, not someone who had to carry such expectations against that mother’s wishes but rather the First Rate Umamusume King Halo.
“I see” Many times had she watch her trainee listen to her mother’s belittling over the phone, hear her not being recognized and just moved aside for something else. “King, it’s fine” Imagining what such a living space was drew parallels with this retreat the two were currently in. “We are still on time to go one of the more commonly gone locations”
A classy place where no warmth was felt, only the cold indifference of the world and herself to keep company. (Alone…that’s what I despise the most about silence…it means I’m alone) Were this to be the King that had just arrived at Tracen then she most likely wouldn’t be having this problems.
But after truly experiencing warmth, how could anyone desire to go back to that.
She hugged tighter “I…yes, that would be acceptable” King Halo buried her head on the trainer’s shoulder. “And apologies…for the difficulties…Trainer”
“Hey, you said yourself that a first rate Umamusume is high maintenance” Slowly she pulled Halo apart from her, using one of her arms to tug the trainee close to her side instead with a one arm hug. “If I want my star to shine like all others I have to do my best after all”
“Now let’s go, with some luck we’ll make it to the other location by lunch if we leave early” Despite saying that the woman did not move until Halo desired to do so, watching her stare at the sky.
Where that star, which still did not shine like all others, didn’t look so lonely anymore.
One day, one day it might reach the rest.
—END—
—Mystic—
