The silence was unbearable as Sam stared at the faces around her, her hands trembled slightly at her sides.
"I..." Sam started, then stopped. She looked at Zaza, who stood perfectly still, and Sam took a shaky breath.
"Everyone deserves a chance," she said quietly. Her voice grew stronger as she continued. "I don’t really know what happened with you and the guys. Yeah, I heard stories... but—" She looked around at the guild. "—I do know you all gave a chance."
She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her fist, almost standing on the tip of her toes. "If I can extend that sa chance to soone else, then I should! So... yes. Zaza should be a Raven’s Crow mber."
The building remained silent after she was done speaking, then Kurt stepped forward, adjusting the bow that sat on her hair. "Well said, love."
He turned to face the guild, voice carrying that lazy authority he sohow pulled off. "Sam’s right. We’re all broken bastards here, yeah? No point pretending we’re saints. Zaza’s proved herself. That’s enough for ."
Rook studied Zaza for a long mont, then nodded. "I suppose that’s that. Welco to Raven’s Crow, Zaza."
Zaza adjusted her glasses with one finger. She was quiet for a mont, and when she spoke, her voice was as flat and emotionless as ever.
"I see." She paused, her gaze shifting to the ground then back to the faces of the people around her. "Then I suppose I should express gratitude."
There was another pause from her. "Thank you... for this opportunity." She paused again, head tilting fractionally as if searching for the next line. "I will endeavor to..."
The sentence hung unfinished in the air. Her purple eyes remained fixed on nothing in particular, unblinking as she trailed off.
Kurt stepped quietly to her side, leaning in just enough for his whisper to reach her ear. "And you’re in our care?"
Zaza blinked once, the prompt seed to click sothing back into place. "Yes... I’m in your care," she added, and bowed slightly in a formal, precise movent that sohow conveyed both sincerity and complete emotional detachnt.
The guild watched in silence, the mont stretching just long enough to feel... off. Then, breaking the uneasy quiet, Lizzie clapped her hands with enthusiastic glee. "Welco to the madhouse, creepy girl who stabbed Kurt with a scythe. You’re gonna fit right in!"
Emma groaned loudly, her frustration bubbling to the surface. "Great. More psychos."
Cassandra smirked, clearly ready to incite violence from the look on her face. "Says the trigger-happy madwoman."
"Anyti, Snow-bitch," Emma shot back.
Cassandra yanked out her blade with a sadistic grin. "How about now, itchy fingers."
The tension shattered completely as guild mbers started talking, congratulating Zaza, while Rook rushed in to defuse an Emma-Cassandra situation brewing in the background before things escalated.
Kurt lit a cigarette and watched it all go down before his gaze settled on Sam, who stood off to the side looking overwheld. He walked over and bumped her shoulder gently. "You did good."
Sam’s eyes were shining as she straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin just a touch, but enough to carry that quiet, self-assured pride.
"Yeah?" she said, a teasing tone creeping into her voice, and lips curving into a small, knowing smile. "Guess it can’t be helped if you’re all impressed by my wisdom."
Kurt had one eyebrow arched in that trademark world-weary way and gave her a crooked half-grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
"Wisdom, eh?" He lowered his voice and leaned in. "Well, wisdom like that should be properly rewarded, don’t you think?"
Sam froze. Then her face ignited.
"E—EH?!" she blurted, voice pitching high as she took a step back, hands flying up. "W-What kind of reward are you talking about all of a sudden?! D-Don’t just say weird stuff like that!"
She pointed at him accusingly, flustered energy radiating off her as her feet shifted restlessly like she was seconds away from either bolting or lunging at him. "You can’t just drop lines like that out of nowhere, idiot!"
Kurt leaned back just enough to grin, clearly enjoying this far too much. "Relax. By ’reward,’ I ant taking you out for pancakes."
He tilted his head. "What did you think I ant?"
Sam’s mouth opened, then closed, and her blush deepened into sothing nuclear. "I—I DIDN’T THINK ANYTHING!" she snapped instantly, too fast, too loud. "You’re the one who made it sound all weird! That’s on you!"
She turned sharply away, arms crossed tight, cheeks burning. "Pancakes are fine," she muttered. "...But only because I like pancakes. Not because you said that."
Before Sam could combust further, and probably call him an arsehole, Rook’s voice pulled everyone’s attention towards him.
Alright," he said. "Next order of business." Groans rippled through the room before he finished speaking and Rook gestured with his arm. "Alright, alright, that’s enough of that."
Rook continued once the groans died down. "We’re scheduling a rank evaluation test soon. As you guys are aware, it’s part of the requirents to officially beco a B rank guild."
He looked at Emma, then Lizzie and Cassandra. "The world won’t know what hit them. I know you guys have grown stronger. Now we just have to make it official."
"Damn right we do." Emma grinned and slipped both hands into the pockets of her denim shorts.
"So," Kurt said casually, "are we using the D-district evaluation center?"
Rook eyed him. "Let guess. The blonde?"
"You insult Rook. That was old Kurt." He scratched the back of his neck. "I just think we’re leaving the district soon is all."
"Blonde chick huh?" Lizzie ca in from beside him wiggling her eyebrows playfully. "She give you her number? You said you’d call and you totally forget?!"
Kurt stayed quiet with only a smile on his face, but really, he was taken aback by how accurate Lizzie’s guess was.
"Okay, that’s enough." Rook stepped forward, scanning the group with that steady leader gaze. "We’ve got a new mber, a plan, and a goal to reach."
He looked to Cassandra. "We’ll still be crashing at your place for the ti being if that’s alright."
"I do not mind," Cassandra replied with a shrug.
"And tomorrow," Rook continued, "we hit the Authority for those rank evaluations. No excuses."
Kurt sighed, lighting another cigarette. "Right. Here we go again."
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