[One Week Later, Southern Florida, April 2023]
"Take this, bitch!" Valerie roared as she threw her tomahawk directly toward her target.
The diamond-tipped blade flew through the air with such ferocity that by the time it reached the sasquatch that the blond woman was currently fighting, it buried itself so deeply into the bipedal cryptid's skull that the creature was dead before it even hit the ground.
"Hell yeah!" Valerie shouted triumphantly while pumping her arms in the air and twirling on her feet. "See, I told you I'd be able to kill in less than five minutes!"
"Yes, yes, you did." Victor said with a slight smile while leaning his body against a nearby tree. "I guess that solo-hunting record of yours wasn't just a rumor."
"That makes fifty-three successful hunts! I might be able to hit sixty before the end of the summer!"
"Impressive."
The two young DPA agents had just completed a hunt in the middle of a small forested area just outside of Lake Okeechobee. Since Valerie had been doing nothing for the past month aside from intensive workouts and combat training, Zhariah had decided that she needed to get some practical experience to put all of the tall blonde's newfound knowledge to good use. And as luck would have it, a sasquatch popped up on the Miami station's radar just in time for her to put her skills to good use.
To her credit, Valerie had noticed a difference in how she was moving compared to before. Her movements were cleaner, her strikes were more deliberate, she was noticeably more agile than before, and her control over her total armament had improved significantly thanks to all the fighting she's been doing. All in all, the past few weeks had certainly been worth it in the 'fire magic' user's opinion.
Sure, Valerie still wasn't able to enter into her berserker state at will, despite all of their attempts to get her to do it. But even with that failure still lingering in the back of her mind, the young woman was more than satisfied with how things had turned out for her.
"Alright, let's hurry up and head back to the station." Victor then said to his partner. "Uncle Norman and Mary-Anne hate it when people take their time getting started on the paperwork."
Valerie couldn't help but laugh at that. "Aunt Zoe is the exact same way. She won't even let us leave for the day until we're done filling out all of those damn forms."
With that, the two quickly made their way back to their vehicle before getting started on making the journey back to the station. They had a two-hour drive ahead of them. And the sooner they left, the easier it would be to avoid all the traffic.
"It's almost time for you to head back home, isn't it?" The young 'lightning magic' user asked the woman.
"It is." Valerie replied. "My flight leaves Sunday morning."
"Well, I hope you enjoyed your time out here." The man then said.
"Oh, I definitely did! Getting to come out here and train with your mom's been awesome! And I can't wait to go back home and show everyone how much I've improved."
"Since we're already on the subject…" Victor then turned his gaze toward the woman. "Since it's your last week here, you wanna go out and explore the city with us on Saturday? Me, Keisuke, Davante, and Cassandra are planning on hitting the beach since the weather's supposed to be nice. It'd be weird for you to come all the way down here and not get to experience what Miami is like."
Valerie didn't even need to think about her response. Over the past month, she has done nothing but train, work out, eat, and rest. She's hardly had any time to just go out and see what the place was actually like. So there was no reason for her to turn down a quick beach day in one of the most famous cities in the country.
"Count me in!"
"Awesome. I'll let them know as soon as we get back."
With that out of the way, the two agents relaxed in comfortable silence as they continued the journey back to Miami. Although she was a bit sad that her time here was slowly coming to an end, Valerie was glad that she got to experience something like this. And she was determined to make the most of her remaining time here before she had to go back to the regular, everyday struggles of being back home in Charlotte.
'Man…I'm gonna miss this place….'
-(o)-
[Later That Week]
Miami, for some unknown reason, had a way of making every day feel like a vacation. The city was bright, loud, and alive in ways that were hard to describe. And the general atmosphere around town made it feel like you were in the middle of a never-ending party.
As the bright April sun hung high above the city, Valerie couldn't help but lean out the passenger-side window of Victor's SUV and allow the warm ocean breeze to whip through her blonde hair. This place really was nothing like either Charlotte or San Francisco. Even from here, she could tell this place was the kind of special that you would only understand if you experienced it for yourself.
"This place is ridiculous!" The tall blonde declared with a wide smile on her face. "I can't believe that people actually get to live here!"
Victor chuckled from behind the wheel. "Pretty sure that's how cities work."
Valerie pointed dramatically toward the skyline. "No, I'm serious! Beaches, palm trees, sunshine. This feels fake."
"You should see what it's like in July." Cassandra replied from the back seat while scrolling through her phone. "Even a 'fire magic' user like you will be begging for mercy once you feel the humidity."
Keisuke Watanabe smiled at the dread-headed woman's words while lazily staring out the window. The young man, one of Victor's friends from high school who also just so happened to be one of Ayako's distant relatives, was one of the agents assigned to the Miami station alongside the others. He had shoulder-length black hair, brown eyes, pale skin, an average-looking face, and a slight build that was apparently common among those in his family.
"Personally, I think that the humidity builds character." The lone 'water magic' user of the group said.
"It builds sweat." Davante corrected. "And a lot of it."
Valerie laughed.
It was her final weekend in Miami. And the tall blonde was determined to see everything she had missed out on while she was here.
She had originally come for training, not sightseeing, and most of her time had been spent working hard and pushing herself to become better than she was before she left. But now that her stay was quickly coming to an end, Victor and the others had decided to drag her out for one last adventure before it was time to head back home.
And honestly? Valerie couldn't have been happier.
-(o)-
Their first stop of the day was the waterfront. The part of the city that stretched from Downtown all the way to the Miami River, and even to the barrier islands that made up a large part of Miami Beach.
The group wasted no time in getting out of their vehicle and wandering through bustling streets lined with palm trees, musicians, food vendors, and tourists as far as the eye could see. And along the way, Valerie made sure to try practically every delicious snack she could get her hands on.
Cuban sandwiches, empanadas, croquetas, and even something involving plantains that she couldn't pronounce but immediately declared one of the greatest foods she'd ever eaten. If it smelled good and was edible, the tall blonde was determined to have a taste of it. And after weeks of eating nothing but basic meals picked out by Zharia that were designed to maximize muscle growth, she was in desperate need of something to satisfy her palate.
"How are you still hungry?" Cassandra asked as she was the young blonde took another bite of her food.
"I've always had a big appetite." Valerie shrugged. "Plus, I have a high metabolism. I need to eat a lot to maintain my gains."
"That's not how metabolism works."
"It is if you believe it hard enough!"
Keisuke nodded in agreement. "Fair argument."
-(o)-
The afternoon continued with a bit more sightseeing around the city.
Along the way, the group of sorcerers visited a few of the waterfront parks, walked through some of the lively shopping districts, and even stopped to watch a gang of street performers paint a mural of a local firefighter who recently died while doing some crazy dance number.
At one point, Valerie challenged a man doing the breakdancing to a push-up contest. Nobody knew why, not even Valerie herself. But when she ended up losing, she quickly realized that trying to do something like that on a full stomach was a bad idea.
Evidently, the man was a retired soldier who had apparently been doing this professionally for years. And Davante laughed about it for nearly twenty minutes before they finally left the area.
-(o)-
Eventually, the group made their way over to the beach.
The ocean stretched endlessly beneath a cloudless sky. The water shimmered like liquid glass under the sunlight. And the warm sand felt amazing beneath Valerie's bare feet.
"Now this…" The tall blonde announced as she dug her toes deeper into the sand. "...is living!"
"You got that right." Victor replied while leaning back in his chair.
-(o)-
The group spent the next several hours enjoying everything that the beach had to offer.
Swimming.
Relaxing.
Building horribly constructed sandcastles.
Playing games in the sand.
And eventually waterskiing after Victor found some local guys who were giving out rides for a modest price. Valerie, ever the young thrill seeker, immediately became obsessed with the activity. And she promised herself to do something like this again the next time she found herself at a beach.
"This is awesome!" The young woman shouted with glee as she did her best to keep herself upright.
The tall blonde skimmed across the water behind a speeding boat, laughing so loudly that people on a few of the nearby boats turned to stare at her as if she were crazy. Fortunately, Valrie didn't care in the slightest. She was having way too much fun to let something like embarrassment ruin her good mood.
Victor handled himself surprisingly well despite not wanting to do it first.
Keisuke somehow managed to look half asleep while doing it when his turn came around. Then again, the guy was a 'water magic' user. Gliding across the waves at high speeds like this was basically child's play for someone who was basically in his element.
Cassandra was competitive enough to treat it like an Olympic event. Well, at least before she wiped out so badly that they had to come rescue her. And Davante naturally spent most of the time bragging about his own skills before immediately losing his footing and tumbling over onto his face faster than he could react.
When Valerie wiped out and skipped across the water like a stone, Davante nearly fell off his own skis from laughing.
"Again!" The blonde shouted after finally resurfacing.
"You just crashed." Victor said from the back seat of the boat.
"I know!"
"Normal people don't enjoy that."
"Well, I do!"
"You're weird, you know that?"
Valerie considered this before giving the young man a playful shrug. "Fair. But I'm still going again!"
And so, the group spent the better part of two hours enjoying themselves as the Miami sun cast heavenly rays upon their day.
-(o)-
Character Profile: Victor
Name: Victor Zayne Owens
Alias: N/A
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Birthday: December 12th
Birthplace: Miami, Florida, United States of America
Height: 69in
Weight: 157lbs
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Magic: Lightning
Occupation: DPA Agent
Stat Chart: B
-Physical Strength - 3
-Intelligence - 4
-Magic Amount - 4
-Magical Control - 4
-Magic Sensing - 5
-Special - N/A
Fun Fact:
-Favorite food is grilled alligator.
-Favorite soccer team is Arsenal F.C.
-Thinks that aliens live at the bottom of the Earth's oceans (refuses to be convinced otherwise).
-Intermediate-level enchanter (Journeyman).
-(o)-
Character Profile: Keisuke
Name: Keisuke Watanabe
Alias: N/A
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Birthday: January 10th
Birthplace: Seattle, Washington, United States of America
Height: 67in
Weight: 148lbs
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Race: Asian
Magic: Water
Occupation: DPA Agent
Stat Chart: C
-Physical Strength - 2
-Intelligence - 3.5
-Magic Amount - 2
-Magical Control - 3
-Magic Sensing - 4.5
-Special - N/A
Fun Fact:
-Favorite food is oyster bisque.
-Youngest son of Yuto Watanabe, DPA Regional Director (Northeast)
-Favorite manga is Tokyo Ghoul.