Successor

Yetta sipped her own cup of tea, that Louella had set in front of her. Carman turned to face her. "I'm sure you are aware of the oncoming dangers, involving the Witness?" she asked.

"Everyone does. It's all anybody can talk about in the tower." Yetta took a bite of the biscuit Louella had made her. Warm, crisp, and buttery.

"Well," Carman started, taking a deep breath. She set her cup down. Oh no. "We might…end up needing you in that fight." Yetta set her cup down as well. They'd need her?? "Understand, I do not see you as fully ready, maybe half ready. But…we don't have another option. And I can't keep you strictly on patrols and sparring matches. Not if there's nothing to patrol."

Yetta leaned closer. "Hold on, you said they might need me?"

"Of course that's all you hear…" Carman sat straighter. "Your training will be more intense, of course. Patrols are one thing. An actual fight against the Darkness is something else entirely."

Yetta peered over her teacup, which she'd picked up again. If it was one thing she disliked more than tea, it was lukewarm tea. "So…by more intense…what do you mean?"

"Everyday, with sparring at the end of the week."

"No days off?" Yetta gulped.

"One day off," Ms. Noble interrupted, clearing her throat. The elder looked at both of them. 

"With all due respect, Ms. Carman. I'd rather not have my favorite neighbor be so tired at night. I understand the threat, but constant training, and sparring? No, that won't do. Won't do at all." She also set her cup down, the fine porcelain joining the other two on the coffee table. "Let her explore, and see what she's expected to protect. If you want, introduce her to Queen Mara. I'm sure Mara would love to meet your student." 

Something went unsaid between the two older woman, Louella staring Carman down. Yetta looked between both of them, sipping her tea again. Not slurping, Louella and Carman both made sure she had more class than that. Finally, Carman relented. "We'll train in between stops, then. I'm sure Petra would love to give Yetta some pointers, as well."

"Not just Petra. Your sister."

Carman started, setting her cup down more harshly than Yetta felt she needed. "I am not crawling to Ophelia in order for her to train *my* student. I will not give her that upper hand."

"Then make sure she doesn't have an upper hand." 

"You have a sister?" Yetta stared at Carman, the Young Wolf, in disbelief. "What, do you have a mother and father too? Is there anything else??"

Carman steered her head away with a firm grip. "There's a lot about me that you don't know." To Ms. Noble, she continued. "If I have Yetta train under my sister, that would be admitting that I can't train my own student. I will not."

Louella Noble, ever so sweet, sipped her tea. "You may not have a choice, if you'll pardon my saying so."

. . . 

"So…who's Ophelia?" Yetta jogged after Carman. "I've gotten that she's your sister? Is that a like…sisters in arms sort of thing?"

"You ask too many questions, you know?" Carman looked down at Yetta, who had finally caught up. "I'm not introducing you to her."

"You always say to be curious. In fact, I think you even taught me to ask questions-." Carman slapped a hand over the young hunter's mouth as the two boarded her ship. Jason snorted as he floated next to her.

"Like Carman said," he beeped. "You ask too many questions."

"You're supposed to be on my side, bud." Jason beeped out a laugh at Yetta's expense, and flew inside the ship. Yetta, grumbling some choice words in Hebrew, stalked on board after the two.

She plopped herself down on the floor, resting her head against the wall as the ship took off. Not the most comfortable position, but sleep over took her anyways, and she slumped to the side, closing her eyes and resting. "Just gonna take a little nap, 'mkay?"

. . .

That little nap had served almost no purpose, so Yetta reached into her pack for a canned coffee. The taste of it was, of course, bitter. And it was lukewarm, so that didn't help the disgusted face she pulled. She climbed up to the passenger seat, sitting beside Carman. "We almost there?" she asked.

"Pulling up to the Dreaming City now," Carman cooly replied, flipping switches overhead. "Charon," she called out. Her ghost materialized next to her, beeping in acknowledgment. "Call Petra Venj. Tell her we're almost at the Dreaming City."

"Got it." The small ghost started the call, a woman's rough voice answering.

"Carman."

"Petra."

Yetta looked at Carman. With as highly as she spoke about Petra, her voice was cold. "You're almost here?"

Finally, the exo's voice warmed up. "We're almost there, yeah. Pulling into orbit now. Any news on where the other eggs are?"

Petra's voice warmed up as well. "Always business. Riven is staying quiet on that. If only she'd be quiet the rest of the time instead of toying with Crow. And you *did* say you're bringing a friend, correct?" Placing her hand to her chest, Yetta awed quietly to Carman, who sent a quick flash of Solar at her leg, silencing her.

"My student, yes. Figured she could do to see how it's done professionally."

"Never took you for the type to take a student, Carman. Is she going to get in the way?"

Carman sized Yetta up, who was kicking her feet and observing the view outside the window, as the Dreaming City came closer. "She's surprisingly more well behaved than you'd think. Crow reports that she's a decent fighter, just gets distracted easy."

"Crow's trained her?"

"Sparring matches. There's only so much a warlock can teach a hunter, and I refuse to take her to my sister."

The ship landed, and Yetta stood up, cracking her neck. Carman put her hand on her shoulder, stabilizing the bouncing hunter. "We're meeting royalty," she instructed. "I expect you to be on your best behavior."

"Was that them? The person you called?" Yetta followed Carman out of the ship, looking at the various guards. "The royalty?"

"No, but she's pretty high up. Queen's Wrath." Sensing Yetta's confusion, she continued. "Think of it as…a special body guard slash soldier. That's Petra." Speaking of…an Awoken stepped out of the palace, her red hair brushed slightly over a patched eye. Yetta was already fixing her armor, she didn't want to incur the stern looking woman's wrath, personally. 

"Carman," she greeted the warlock, grasping her hand firmly. "And…present company?" Yetta wasn't aware she was being talked to first, until an elbow was deliver to her ribs.

"Oh- uh…I'm Yetta. Carman's um…" she trailed off, looking at her mentor. "Student?"

"My successor."