So You Wanna Be a Hero, Kid?

[Raven]

"Yeah, he seems like he knows what he's doing... but he doesn't seem very professional," Cassie noted.

[Gifted]

"He's a teenager. You expected different?"

[Raven]

"So am I," Cassie said. "He would never get through the program like that."

[Gifted]

"He's one of the better candidates here." Xander contradicted.

[Raven]

"I didn't mean this program," Cassie said. "You've always been more lax than anyone else, sir."

[Gifted]

"You think?" Xander asked, thinking he'd hardly been lax with them today.

[Raven]

"Pointing a sword at someone wouldn't exactly fly in a school setting," Cassie said. "But other than that."

[Gifted]

"Well, I think your impression of me is mistaken." He scowled.

[Raven]

"Ryan would not have gotten away with contradicting you in a classroom," Cassie said, shrugging. "But I don't think that's a bad thing. Your team adored you."

[Gifted]

"Maybe. But giving them so much freedom was a mistake."

[Raven]

"Giving Rick so much freedom was a mistake," Cassie muttered.

[Gifted]

"If I'd kept a tighter hold on the group in general instead of trying to treat them like a family, it wouldn't have gotten that far. I won't be giving these kids the same leeway. They're soldiers and they're going to act as such."

[Raven]

Cassie flicked her eyes away. "Yes, sir. Do you want to see how far my skill has come?"

[Gifted]

"That's why I'm here" He confirmed. He took off his coat so it would no restrict his movement and put his sheath down as well. "Let's see how much you've learned."

[Raven]

Cassie had improved quite a bit over the last few years, though she had spent most of her time on her academics and her firearms training. She had much more strength behind her now that she was older, though.