Nightshade Academy | Episode 18 | Happy Birthday (Audio)

I vow to reject emotion when faced with moral quandary the day after limbo left the academy Yoshi spotted Salin shivering on a bench in the courtyard you haven't been in a dining hall I'm not too hungry he took a seat next to him and they stared at the Statue of Emperor vikoi together [Music] do you remember what you told me when we first met I can't say I do you told me that guardianship has always been your dream not limbos it feels wrong to choose guardianship over my own brother you are talented Salen don't let your fear stop you from reaching your full potential come to supper you can sit with us Salen met his gays and nodded lightly they walked together to the dining hall where benzo and Dell were already seated quacks KO and Sana watched Yoshi and Salen in curiosity as they grabbed their trays and sat together for the first time pinzo poked at his food not bothered enough to acknowledge the newcomer valve on the other hand studied sailing with an intensity that made him shift uncomfortably in his seat Salem forced a smile and when Val didn't smile back Yoshi knew he would need to step in what was it like to grow up in for koi city did you see Guardians on a daily basis oh yeah every day they're stationed right in the city center sometimes people ask them for autographs oh she raised his brows autographs in Miranda the Guardians only show up if there's bad news people usually keep their distance and those four kid his plate with a claim startling everyone at the table there was a dullness in his eye as he pushed his chair back and stood abruptly leaving his food nearly untouched he headed for the door sent yashia concern to glance sorry I shouldn't have no it's not your fault he does that from that day on Salen became a regular at their table in the dining hall he answered every question Yoshi and Val had about growing up in vikoi City his story is so vibrant that Yoshi's memories of Citra faded into black and white six weeks after the restraint filtration Yoshi and Salen entered the training room to practice with their primary tools Val and Keo were already inside preparing for a casual competition as the only trainees remaining who had chosen throwing blades as their primary tool they had started to spend a significant amount of recreation time training together no spin technique Teo tossed a throwing knife in the air and caught it by its handle let's go Target bird or Target Turtle you named the targets after animals what's wrong with you two Vel waved at Yoshi and Salin with a smile but KO ignored their arrival he pointed at the closer Target which was a solid 10 Paces away Target Bert you first KO grabbed a knife from his tool belt and took his time adjusting his feet repeatedly as he struggled to angle his wrist at the perfect degree Yoshi and Salem sat next to each other on the floor watching him intently what are you doing here go practice with your own tools we're spectating your game that's all I'd hate to miss the awesome shot you're about to make KO shook his head and refocused on his form he made a few more adjustments before throwing the knife it pierced through the air and struck The Target just a fingers with from the red Bullseye ah how's that for an awesome shot KO crossed his arms as he faced his opponent beat that Phil let's see you try Vel pulled her hair up into a ponytail finally able to secure it in place as it had grown just past her shoulders she grabbed a knife from her tool belt stepped into position and threw it without hesitation it struck right next to Ko's blade hitting the bullseye I win she faced him with a blank expression yeah right the challenge was to use a no spin technique your knife definitely spent it definitely did not you were watching right did it spin oh yeah it spins many times probably a thousand times so quick it couldn't be seen by the human eye the left and KO rolled his eyes your friends are Bell let's start a new game as kale left to retrieve their knives from the target yeah she saw Val's smile falter he had begun to notice the way she dropped her Smiles hastily held her tools a bit tighter than everyone else and avoided eye contact when she had nothing to say he wondered if those details had always been there those gays wandered to the wall and Yoshi found himself staring at it too somewhere outside Pinto was shooting arrows at tree trunks alone unable to distract himself from the unsolved case of the missing Bayon family and here they were moving on without him making new friends to replace him feeling the guilts of giving up on him but choosing not to act on it hey sailing nudged Yoshi's shoulder I have an idea let me talk to Pinto yeah she glanced sideways at Salem unsure about the eagerness in his eyes if fenzo had shut out Val who had been there for him more than anyone else now she doubted he would listen to Salen but he also reasoned that Pinto had been stuck in a rut for over two months and at this point anything was worth trying yeah sure hey Val we'll be right back oh take your time please so then grabbed a bow and a quiver of arrows on their way out of the training room he rushed down the staircase so swiftly that Yoshi nearly had to run after him what's your plan exactly I realized that you and Val are too soft what you inval you talk to Pinto like you're coaxing a little boy out of bed but the boy is tired the blankets are warm and the air is so cold sometimes you have to rip off the blanket he led the way across the common room I'm not following Pinto is stubborn okay you can't baby him you have to throw common sense at him like a rock to the skull Yoshi hugged his arms to ward off the Goosebumps as they stepped through the front door the weather had been getting colder over the previous weeks and the wind only Amplified the incoming chill while we were up in the training room I remembered this one time when limbo got second place in an art competition he wanted to get first so that really sent him into a slump for weeks he had nothing but terrible things to say about his paintings I begged him not to give up what happened he didn't listen of course sailing raised his chin as though he were reading the memory from the clouds one day I got really fed up with him instead of telling him not to criticize his art I decided to just agree with everything he said if he called his work trash I offered to throw it out for him you should have seen the look on his face what makes you think a tactic like that a work on Pinto he's stubborn just like my brother they both have a lot to say and not much to listen to it takes a different approach to help someone like that you have to use their own words against them as they combed through the surrounding Woods in search of pinto though she pondered over salen's words he had never once considered the similarities between pinto and salen's brother perhaps because he didn't want to see them as he had never gotten along well with limbo but now that he thought of their similar reactions to frustration he realized that Salen had a point eventually they found him aiming an arrow at a distant tree trunk a twig snapped under Yoshi's booth and Pinto froze with his bow drawn what are you doing here you need to rest I can't the bands are still missing which means the underground is more clever than the force we're going to war and we're not prepared Pinto finally shot his Arrow it skimmed a branch missing the tree trunk entirely he lowered his bow and gripped his hair with a skull damn it I'm slipping you really are and so faced sailing with a wide and die I'm sure you're a big fan of Professor ember's worst case scenario mindset of course I am tell me your worst case scenario Enzo gripped his bow tighter the underground strikes it's inevitable I can think of something worse than that what the underground strikes and you're not in the force because moping around got you filtered so now you have to watch the war play out from the sidelines just like before instead of lashing back with one of his usual rebuttals until pursed his lips in silence sailing drew his bow aiming at the tree trunk Pinto had missed look at the Moss he shot the arrow and it struck a patch of moss on the tree with a smirk he lowered his bow and stared at Pinto I saw you shoot during our primary tool filtration you hit the bullseye on your first try and look at you now you're right you really are slipping Pinto go to sleep without rest you won't improve and does face flushed with anger and for a moment it seemed like he might explode but as a gust of wind swept over him his Fury cooled into disappointment he lowered his head his eye fixed on his boots and started walking toward the field Yoshi and Salem watched him in awe as he disappeared through the distant trees it actually reached him I can't believe it you're welcome Salen took a few steps in the direction Pinto had gone wait while we're outside could you help me with something sailing stopped and looked back at him what is it I need to practice climbing up the side of the building just to the second floor high enough to reach the balconies what why would you do that I need to sneak into Val's room why to wish her happy birthday it's her birthday it will be in about a week what just help me out will you that's a big favor to ask and I've seen you climb yeah she leaned forward urging him to help Salen laughed before pointing at a nearby tree why don't you start small the tree had a thick trunk with branches that hung lower than most making it an easy climb while it didn't compare to the challenge of scaling the side of a building Yoshi supposed it was a good place to start he approached it and began his ascent as Yoshi made his way up the tree Salem stated the base of the trunk shouting instructions for him to reach for certain branches or to stop looking down Yoshi's arms and legs trembled making the climb even more challenging and he cursed his own fear when he finally reached his goal Branch he balanced his boots on it and gripped the trunk for support he looked down at Salem with a triumphant smile only to spot him with his bow drawn an arrow aimed at Yoshi's head jump what I said jump or I'll shoot you Salen pulled his bow string tighter you're joking right I'm shooting on one are you crazy three stop that two Yoshi fixed his Gaze on the point of salin's Arrow and shivered involuntarily he tightened his grip on the trunk as he readied himself to make the leap one Yoshi's feet left the branch he heard The Sound of Silence arrows striking the trunk behind him as he soared through the forced air leaves rustled singing their Praise of Yoshi's flight but the sensation of Freedom disappeared when he realized that he was falling hurtling toward the ground his heart raced as he frantically reached out for branches that weren't there but the impact of his hip against the ground knocked the breath out of him he squeezed his eyes shut and rolled into his back clutching his side he could hear nothing but his own heartbeat until footsteps approached him he forced his eyes open and saw Salem grinning down at him nice jump what the hell you actually shot I knew you'd jump how could you possibly know for sure well you jumped didn't you It Felt Like a Knife was stabbing his side when Yoshi propped himself up into a seated position he gritted his teeth through the pain as his breathing settled he met salin's eyes I jumped and you're fine right yeah Salen offered him a hand to help him up and Yoshi took it um despite the bruising that lingered from the fall now she scaled the side of the building 10 days later he dripped The Vines and window trims to hoist himself up as he'd practice reaching the balcony of room one in less than a minute he climbed over the railing and collected himself before sliding the glass door open Vel was sitting on a chair that she had dragged to the middle of her quarter wow you actually did it I did were you scared not after this Yoshi lifted his shirt to reveal the stubborn bruise that stretched from his waist down to his hip Vel jumped to her feet Yoshi what happened he laughed as he dropped the fabric happy birthday Val Adonna book one Nightshade Academy written and narrated by Mel Tori Franca used by Mel Tory Franca and Wilson Hensley edited and Mastered by Juan Pablo Diaz something went wrong we worked hard for this life that we don't want it all cover art by mad Studio score by G depita azri theme song composed and produced by James Sinclair stodd Jason Brown Anthony Andreas echeveri Philip krainov Melissa white Alex Bowie Patrick verzba Julia risto David John vores Connor Blanc Cody keel Ellie Chua Ben Autry Walter Mack [Music] [Music] featuring the voices of Gwyneth Evans Jeff Rosenau Lucas Hensley Levi Titus Angie Eggers Willem dagar Allison Prophet Maria palmo Knight shield Academy is produced in association with Lost Island press if it's really true if it's really true remember