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Fantasy Code FERAL

As Manjano burst out of the cafeteria looking completely ruffled by something, Luness glided towards the now open door before flying through the opening.


Glancing back briefly to see Manjano disappear around a corner, Luness furrowed her brows, but continued to fly towards the group. She'd never been that good at helping Manjano out when he was upset. Falarion was better at that than Luness or Leandra ever would be.


Landing on the serving table by the chili, Luness peered into the pot before glancing around and asking to anyone in particular, "Any idea where less chopped up pieces of cooked meat would be available?"


After asking her question, Luness peered back at Calista to see if the civet was going to join the group or maybe even try to get some chili for herself.


While waiting, Luness surveyed the gathered teammates and could see that Zoe and Bael seemed to be chatting it up nearby while several others just moseyed along in the area. Duik was chatting with Alec while also eating his chili. Jimbo seemed to be in his own world at the moment and was possibly communicating or something with Simon, who she'd seen heading towards the infirmary when they'd passed each other earlier. Perhaps he was checking up on Amber?


Back to the present group, Luness then also amusingly noticed Haku teasing and scaring poor Fie while Ash and Rin simply watched on. No fun in ruining that moment with her presence.


Casually preening her feathers to keep herself busy while she waited for a response to her question, Luness was startled when Leandra suddenly appeared at her side, having seemingly appeared out of no where in the moment.


With a wide grin, Leandra then said, "No worries, Lune! I'll just cook some meat for you, real quick!"


Startled by Leandra's mentioning of cooking, Luness quickly started, "N-no, it's all right, dear. I'm sure someone else can make it for me in a jiffy."


Shrugging, Leandra responded, "Aww, come on. My cooking's not all that bad, Lune."


Deadpanning, Luness then stated, "You burned the kitchen and part of the living room in one of your foster homes when you tried to cook something before."


Blinking, Leandra then pouted before putting down the plate full of several bits of meat before saying, "Fine then. I'll let someone else burn down part of this kitchen."


@SilverFlight @DawnAntalios @Sleipnir @zCrookedz @Peaceswore @andujarprime
 
Amber seemed to relax as soon as Simon stated the contents of the locket. "R-right, yeah. Don't mind me, probably still the drugs... and don't worry, the experience of being in the middle of an avalanche was painful enough that I'll try and avoid doing it in the future." She tried her best not to react to the fact that he had missed her, she tried even harder not to feel overjoyed at the admission. It didn't work.


After that her mind drifted over his words about losing friends and all of a sudden the face of the fox appeared in her mind, dashing her happiness to pieces in an instant. The memory hit her like a sledgehammer, overwhelming and all too familiar.


"I seem to be really damn good at losing friends." She tried to force the image from her mind but the more she pushed the more vivid it became. Finally, she gave in to it.


"Simon...they shot the last agent in front of me...I wouldn't give them information...I-I let them do it!" In the back of her head the reasonable part of her argued that it wasn't her fault, that she was tied down, he was going feral and in that situation it was the right thing to do, but all the memory did was drag the faces of her team back out of their watery graves, fresh and haunting.


She buried her face in her hands. "Four more died, because I got caught." The statement was weighted with all the grief and frustration she felt. She didn't look up.


Amber never cried. For all the things that had happened to her, everything she felt throughout her life, she had almost never actually shed tears, but with the fresh wave of guilt, the memories both old and new as blaring reminders of her failure, the constant pain echoing her torture and now Simon sitting beside the bed...it was pretty damn hard to control.


Se felt the hot water on her cheeks but refused to sob like a child. Instead she tried to take a breath, using one hand to dab at the tears as they came. She wanted to kick herself for showing this side of herself to Simon. It was a side she swore she'd never let him see.


@zrookedz


Calista trotted into the kitchen a moment after Luness.


"Well well, I see you guys know how to make yourself at home. There are regular meals served her morning, noon and night. Though if there's some spare, Amber just woke up, can I get a hand taking it to her?"


"Cali, you need to try Ash's chili! Its so good." Duik said dreamily, but looked a bit fearful as Calista fixed him with a stern stare. "Don't call me 'Cali'. Its Calista to you."


Duik nodded obediently. Touchy subject apparently.


The civet jumped up onto the bench. "What are you smiling at Ham Hands?" She asked curiously.


@DawnAntalios @Lioness075 @zCrookedz @crucialstar @Sleipnir @Hel @andujarprime @Flutterby


Talon prowled the halls quietly, his face set with a grim expression. Darcy had been upset. Rightly upset. He didn't envy the recruits at this point and it was his unpleasant duty to call them in for the reprimand. He had checked the gardens before Manjano had run to them and most of everywhere except the kitchens. He was headed there now. Then it was to the infirmary to check there too.


@everyone
 
Simon's eyes slowly began to widen the more Amber began to talk. The initial reaction to the agent being shot was disturbing. Though he had never seen something like that, he had seen his team mates die at the hands of others, just like Amber had. The events of Singapore had left Simon with nearly the exact same emotions that Amber was trying so hard to conceal from him right now.


Seeing Amber like this Simon couldn't help but feel the familiar pain as well. Pain of loosing those who were close, of the hopelessness he felt to try and prevent their deaths. The question of "why am I still here?". Simon new he had to say something, he wanted to say something, he just wasn't sure what to say. He felt as if Jimbo were behind him, encouraging him on and trying to help calm his thoughts. So Simon decided to give it a shot. He gave the chair a push on the floor and it slid a little closer to the bed. Without word, Simon reached out with one of his hands and grabbed Ambers that was resting on the bed. Her skin was soft and smooth in his rough working hands. He kept his eyes down, looking at her hand as his fingers closed on it.


"Amber, do you remember what happened when we got back from Singapore? I picked up everything here and left. I went home, back to Ma and the little ones, tried to forget what happened. But it hurt, god did it hurt. The memories were there, and the guilt from those drove me into the bottle. Jimbo did the best he could to keep it from the little ones, Ma caught on pretty quickly. One night, I came home after spending several hours at the bar. She was waiting for me. All the little ones were put down, Jim back at the shop. I was so plastered I'm surprised even today I still remember this. But when I got home, she walked up to me, looked me straight in the eyes and said, "Simon, it's time let go of the past, and come back to your family. You can't change the past, all you can do is make sure it doesn't happen again in the future." Those words helped me get through the toughest part, but it wasn't until recently that I started to heal."


Simon swallowed a bit and gave Ambers hand a squeeze before he lifted his eyes to hers. They were soft, his facial expressions somewhere between pained and acceptance as he spoke


"Comming back here to The Watch, seeing you, Calista, Nigel hell even George. I was reminded every second of what happened. There is no way for us to escape it, all we can do is accept it and be with those who help us. There was nothing we could have done in Singapore. There was nothing that you could have done for those agents. All we can do now is fight for them and make sure they didn't die for nothing."


If Amber was surprised by his words, Simon was even more surprised. His mind was so focused and so clear, but the more surprising thing to him was that he hadn't felt Jimbo's presences since before he had started speaking.


@SilverFlight





Jimbo continued to sit in the booth while the others chatted when he heard two new voices enter. He recognized Luness and Calista and after a final push of comfort towards Simon, he real ed back and opened his eyes to see the little Civet standing on the bench. He smiled at her and sat back up, his eyes drifting over to watch Luness and Leandra discuss Leandra's cooking abilities.


"Just checking in on my brother."
 
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Eos' mind boomed with ideas and thoughts, he knew not exactly what Zoe wanted to talk about but he was certain that she did not say that under the influence of the medicines she got. No, her eyes reflected perfect clarity and burning determination like usually, she was her old self when she proclaimed something like that. But he had absolutely no idea what it was.


As the old stag wandered through the halls fond memories surged in his mind - the echoing halls of their previous team, the cheerful laughter in the hallways and the busy people running up and down. All of these memories felt faint, distant even, mere echos reverberating in the halls of forgotten past. It felt like an eternity ago when he and Zoe were walking up and down, talking and chatting all day long. They were so happy back then, their hearts were as one, their minds were in complete unison - they were the best duo of all... and yet they have distanced themselves from one another... they have changed as the stakes changed. He knew that sooner or later it would happen and that there was no avoiding it, he just hoped in the past that it would not be this painful or abrupt for that matter.


While he was lost in his thoughts he spotted Talon approaching and he bowed his head respectfully upon seeing the majestic companion.


" Greetings to you, Talon. " he said with a warm, welcoming voice " I am glad that we can meet again, how are you today? "


As he inspected him he noticed a silent, foreboding aura surrounding Talon, a weight if heavy burden probably. His tone changed he asked again.


" Is there something amiss? Is Amber all right? " the stag was now as curious as worried " May I help you in any way? "


@SilverFlight
 
Fie was shaking as he attempted to get away from the snake that was getting tighter and the fact that her face was getting closer to his didn't stop his trembling in the slightest. gulping a bit as he shrunk back he looked at her and then Ash and back at her. "H-He's not th-th-that big just get him in ti-tiny pieces... A-And he should ta-taste better b-because of ho-how he looks ri-right?" He said as he looked at her before flinching a bit. "Glutton? N-No I-I didn't, I mean yo-you said b-but you... I." He was at a lost of words as he looked over at Ash. "Operation Ranch, do operation ranch." He whispered to Ash who pretended to ignore Fie as he ate his chili. "T-T-Traitor." He stuttered out as Haku got eye level with him. He was about to try and make a frantic run for it but was completely taken off guard by what was said next as the snake wrapped around him and snuggled him.


".....A....A joke? All of that pretending to eat and get offended was....a...joke?" he asked in surprise as he stopped shaking only to start giggling. "Kehehe That was a good one! Kehe I believed it for a minute! Kehehe Okays you deserve a hug for that one." He said with a laugh as he wrapped his rather small arms around the snake. The monkey honestly didn't mind the sudden hug in the least, after living with Ash's brothers he got used to it and honestly rather likes it. Therefore he was more than willing to give one to the snake before him. After a bit he realized he didn't know the snakes name so he kept his hug as he hummed a bit. "What's ya name? Fie's the name pranks, jokes and annoying Ashy is the game! Kehehe."


Ash watched the entire scene unfold and smiled as he ate, his eyes moved over to the other that sat next to him and he gave him a nice smile. "Don't worry about it. Fie is the exact opposite, honestly hoping your buddy there would make him faint so he could sleep off his sugar high." He said with a small laugh before holding his hand out to the other. "I never caught your name sir. I'm Ash Utopia." He said with a smile before his eyes moved over to Alec who thanked him. "hm? No problem I just made it for everyone." He said before turning his attention back to the other his hand still being held out.


@andujarprime @SilverFlight
 
Amber jumped at the feeling of Simon's hand on hers. She stared down at it as if trying to decide why it was there.


Simon's first question struck a bitter chord in her heart and she looked away from him. Of course she remembered, she remembered it all too vividly, as well as the pain it had brought. This time her grief flared into anger, but she was practiced enough to keep it in check. She listened silently.


If Amber was honest with herself, his story surprised her. She assumed he had been furious, at the Watch and at her. She hadn't known that he blamed himself too. That begged the question; why did he really leave? She wanted to ask it more than anything but something stopped her.


That was over, whatever it was, or could have been, was five years ago. It didn't matter anymore. She felt Simon's eyes on her and turned back to meet them. They were just the same, soft caring eyes she remembered they threatened to draw her in all over again. She was surprised at the clarity of his words, it seemed he had changed in some respects, she couldn't help but feel proud of him.


He told her there was nothing she could have done, and though she accepted most of his words, those stuck.


"You're wrong." She whispered. "I could have re-checked the data, I could have been more careful. I could have pushed to abort the mission at the first hint of trouble, but I didn't. I was too proud and too stupid..." She trailed off, a dusty familiarity crept up on her with those words. She had run the same lines in her head a thousand times before.


"But you are right about the rest...its in the past." She pulled her hand back gently and looked at it with a hint of regret. "Just like all the rest."


She took a deep breath to try and clear her head. "You should probably go. Darcy is going to want a word...Calista told me the details...the rules are pretty clear, though, there is one that might help: an agent is pardoned from defying orders if they are of sufficient rank, and crucial information pertaining to the mission can be retrieved by such actions...Simon, I think I found something crucial, and Calista was never actually demoted with me, so please, make sure he's not too hard on her...or any of them."


She lay back down and with some difficulty managed to turn onto her side facing away from him.


"Thanks for coming to check on me." She said softly, still holding the locket in one bruised hand.


@zCrookedz


Darcy padded into the cafeteria at the sound of voices laughing and talking.


"Recruits. Darcy...would like to hold the debrief. Now." His voice was grimm, the tone made all the more ominous by its rich, growling depth.


Calista bit her lower lip. This wasn't going to be pretty.


"You let me do the talking first." She warned them before jumping down from the table and going to follow Talon out the door. The saber-toothed cat was silent all the way up to the meeting room, which was the same room as they had been briefed in for their latest mission. Darcy was already there. Standing at the head of the room, his hands behind his back and his expression looking close to murderous.


"Sit down." Was all he said, and his voice was dangerously quiet.


@andujarprime @Flutterby @Lioness075 @Sleipnir @crucialstar @Hel @DawnAntalios @Peaceswore @zCrookedz
 
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Simon sat and listened to Amber talk about what she could have done. There were so many things Simon wanted to say, his thoughts had returned to a jumbled up mess and he was finding it hard to figure out what he could say to ease the burden she placed on herself. He began to grow increasingly more frustrated, angry, and then sad as she continued to talk ending on things that were in the past. Simon didn't understand why the line made him upset, but he felt like his heart broke a little bit with those words.


"Amber...I..."


He wanted to say something, he wanted to say what he had said in Paris. But the memory of how upset Calista was, held his tongue in place. She cut him off from saying anything else when she said he should be going. The information about the mission and Calista was good to know, it might just keep the Civet from being in the line of fire. But now Simon couldn't help but wonder what it was that Amber had found that would make such a difference in Darcy's eyes. As she turned onto her side, Simon understood and picked up his bag as he stood from the chair.


Walking around the room and gently setting the chair back in its home, Simon stopped at her thanks and he managed to give her a half smile, even if she wasn't looking.


"Yea, no problem Strong. You get some rest, we need you at 100%"


The inside of Simon's head was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, the big guy could feel so many things telling him to do about a hundred other things. His thoughts kept him so clouded, that he didn't even realise he was outside her room until the door clicked shut. His thoughts went quiet again, and after a deep breath, Simon began following the med bay corridors to find the others.


@SilverFlight


Jimbo continued to sit and watch the others until Talon appeared out of nowhere. Laohu was beginning to grow on Jimbo, the big cat's presences was usually there and he was beginning to trust him as a teammate. Talon, on the other hand, sent Jimbo's mind into a panic and the Gorilla lept from the both and made his way to the floor where he wasn't trapped against a wall.


Obviously, Talon wasn't there to hurt any of them though the dark undertone of his voice seemed to be telling of something bad was about to happen. Jimbo glanced to Calista as she headed out with Talon, and Jimbo followed after her. As they exited and made their way towards the debriefing room, Jimbo spotted the gigantic muscle head of his partner and waved him over. Simon looked like he was lost to the world a bit and when he approached he and Jimbo walked off to the side a bit. The gorilla looked up at him with a confused look.


"How'd it go big guy? How's Strong?"


Simon sighed and shouldered his bag into a better position.


"She's getting better. Agent Strong should make a full recovery."


Jimbo let his eyes drop and then return forward as he walked.


"That bad huh? Sorry Simon, I tried to help the best I could."


Simon didn't say anything else as the reached the meeting room. The same as before, Simon could see Darcy at the end of the large glass table. He did not look happy. He didn;t look relatively happy the last time they met, but this time, he looked REALLY unhappy.


Simon and Jimbo took their seats as commanded and waited fro the meeting, the slaughter, to begin.


@andujarprime @Flutterby @Lioness075 @Sleipnir @crucialstar @Hel @DawnAntalios @Peaceswore
 
Bael nodded in agreement with what Zoe said about his sister. She did mean the world to Bael -- he probably couldn't function without her. When his friend brought up practicing flirtation with her, he nearly choked on air. "A tad bit shy!" he repeated. "I can't even speak -- it isn't --" He shook his head, eyes wide, face growing red. "What am I s'pposed to say? I don't even--" He stopped again. He couldn't possibly flirt, much less flirt with Zoe -- the thought of it made his stomach twist. He opened his mouth to speak again, but that was when the relaxed dinner-party was interrupted.


Initially, Bael couldn't help but feel a twinge of resentment, but quickly put it aside. He clenched his jaw and stood up slowly, and poured the rest of his tea before taking his time to rinse out his teapot and put it away. Relax. You weren't in charge.


Oh, yeah, because you know how fond people are of making sure they only target the guilty ones in a group. I'm not exactly innocent anyway.


We did the right thing. You know we've all gotta own up to it.


Yeah, I s'ppose so.


"Looks like we've got ourselves in trouble," he finally said softly to Zoe. He looked at her. "Doncha know that, then? Reminds me of when I was younger, not s'posed to touch the lamp or the foghorn. Did anyway. Got chewed out bad for that." He shot a look toward the sabre toothed cat, then followed the others out to the meeting room, carrying his mug with him. He shot Darcy a glance, then settled at a far point off to the side, Cedar sitting with him, and took another sip of the tea.


The bear was no less anxious. He flattened his ears nervously -- he didn't like getting yelled at any better than anyone.


@DawnAntalios @SilverFlight
 
Rin smiled at Haku's new connection with Fie then he turned back to Ash. The outstretched hand took him a bit by surprise, but it was a pleasant one nonetheless. With a smile he gave Ash a firm handshake. "My name is Rin Takeda, it is nice to formally meet you Master Utopia." He said bowing his head mid shake. He hadn't meant to but he slipped back into formalities when meeting people. "I'm glad that Haku has not offended you, or master Fie. She would not eat a member of the team, she likes to joke when she is comfortable around people. Which doesn't happen very often considering the reactions we get out in the world." He explained as he looked back over at them. Haku was grinning ear to ear, and he could feel for himself the warmth of her happiness in his own heart. However that quickly passed, seconds before Talon stepped into the room his face became serious. As if he got a chill from an ominous wind, bad news came like a sixth sense to him now. He stood and followed the rest of the group out. Scooping Haku up on the way out. He contemplated moving up to ask Talon about the body he had brought in after their first mission, but decided against it. After the debriefing, that would be better. Once they reached the debriefing room he sat near the front of the room, a solemn look on his face. He knew that whatever came next, it wasn't going to be a very happy meeting.


@Peaceswore @SilverFlight
 
Beth moved to the other side of the kitchen, deftly pulling out a plate. She flinched visibly when Manjano stormed out, but otherwise pretended not to notice. Within a few moments, she had an Italian-style loaf of bread, a head of lettuce, a tomato, cheese, and some sliced roast beef in front of her. As if she were moving completely automatically, Beth sliced the bread and tomato. In a small pan, she melted a little butter, setting both slices of bread in, then the beef and cheese on one slice. Once it was all warm and toasty, she pulled it off and put a slice of tomato and leaves of lettuce on top, and closed the sandwich. It was a beautiful sandwich, but she hardly noticed.


Totus flew over to Beth as she was cooking, and waited until she answered his unspoken question.


"Manjano still needs to eat. And I want to take some cookies to Strong." She said, her tone all too even.


"Very well. I will await your return with the others." He said. There was an edge to his voice that he pretended wasnt there, and that Beth pretended she didnt hear.


"You need to eat too. No mice, so," Beth responded, putting a few slices of the beef on a plate for him while she put everything else away.


Totus resentfully gobbled up the snack, as he really wanted to chastise her for ignoring her own needs right then, as Talon entered. He summoned them all to Agent Darcy, probably for their reprimand for going against orders. Totus flew to Beth's shoulder, and she took the sandwhich off the plate and wrapped it in some wax paper. Manjano could eat it later, if he wanted it, but Strong would have to wait for the cookies.


Beth and Totus followed several paces behind Talon, both rather subdued. As they went past the central garden area, Beth broke away. Her path took her to the bench Manjano was sitting on. It was clear that he was struggling with something himself, but Beth was in no state of mind to comfort him. She set the wrapped sandwich down next to him. "Manjano."


"Sandwich, if youre still hungry. Darcy wants to debrief us now." Totus said, his tone surprisingly gentle. The owl felt bad for how he had judged the mute; it was clear now that he was more like Beth than he originally realized.


Beth kept her eyes on the ground and swallowed softly, then whispered, "See you later."


With that, she turned and continued on to the debrief, taking a seat with dutiful silence.


@Lioness075 @SilverFlight
 
As the racing thoughts in his head began to slow along with his heart rate, Manjano was about to open his eyes when Beth's voice suddenly brought him back to reality.


Quickly opening his eyes and looking up at Beth, Manjano's face remained blank, as his mind was just as equally blank. Should he say something?


Totus told him to eat the sandwich if he was hungry and then mentioned Darcy wanting to debrief the group.


Blinking was the only response he could think of giving at the time and soon the pair was gone, rejoining the group for the debrief.


His heart continued to pound a bit, but he forced himself to move, as he picked up the sandwich and unwrapped it. Eyeing the sandwich, Manjano could only wonder if Beth had made it for him. Would she be willing to do that so soon after he'd made such a mistake with her?


Feeling slightly guilty now for Beth making him a sandwich as what appeared to Manjano as an apology of sorts, he furrowed his brows while staring at the sandwich for a few seconds before he blinked again.


Debrief, right. That meant he needed to get moving and join the others.


Quickly eating a few bites, Manjano didn't even pause before he'd finished the whole sandwich. Dang, that was surprisingly delicious.


Sighing, Manjano stood from his bench and tossed his trash into the nearest trash can before pausing for a moment.


While he figured Falarion was probably still out cold, Manjano figured it couldn't hurt to try and reach out to him and get a response.


Closing his eyes to help him focus, Manjano then reached out to Falarion...only to meet his unconscious.


Respecting Falarion's privacy while he was unconscious, Manjano quickly retreated and then opened his eyes.


Time to go to the debrief, then.


Exiting the gardens, Manjano soon joined the back of the group and stood by the doorway so that he was inside the room, but also so he wasn't in the line of fire since Darcy was definitely not in a good mood right now.


@Flutterby @SilverFlight
 
Zoe frowned when Bael spoke up yet again with an indecisive tone. She did understand the anxiety of the boy, this was probably not a topic someone would have wanted to talk about openly... but she did not want to see him being torn about this. Missed opportunities are the worst in life, to see them drift away from your hand and be unable to do anything against them... it is probably the worst of feelings imaginable. No, she wanted him to seize this moment so she folded her hands together.


" Well... from what I heard women like to be flattered. " she said with a tentative voice " You know, when you tell them that they are pretty and cute for example. You can magnify one of their attributes and exaggerate it, painting them in a much better color than they actually are... "


She sighed.


" Who am I kidding, I know nothing about stuff like these. " she concluded, looking at him with a sardonic smile " Just be honest with your feelings, all right? Talk about yourself, about her and things will work out. I am sure that she will understand it and will be more than happy about it. "


As she finished talking she noticed that they were summoned by Darcy. Nodding to Bael's statement she stood up slowly, getting her crutches so that she could walk and followed the small group to the ominous briefing room where they were to receive their verdict. Seeing how Eos was there already she nodded at him and waited for the reprimands.


@Sleipnir @SilverFlight @everyone
 

Taking a deep breathe and slowly getting down the table, Xiao Hui smiled hearing those words Alec had said that it felt nice to rely on others than just Duirk. "Same here, it's. . different. . refreshing, almost." She said softly as she carefully moved around the medical room, glad to be walking about now instead of just sitting in one spot. Xiao Hui missed the gardens, actually, she enjoyed being one with nature where peace could be found. Blinking, Xiao Hui stood in her spot, turning towards Alec in confusion, "Who's Carmen?" She had no idea what he was talking about nor had she had any clue that it was a song title, nevertheless, she grinned, "Laohu does have a good head on his shoulder, though, sometimes, the fur ball can be quite. . particular." Xiao Hui reminisced as she stared off into her own thoughts for a bit. She remember whenever he wrecked havoc in her room or wherever the tiger roamed, he always managed to make someone literally pee in their pants or set themselves on fire. Saying her Father was angry was an understatement of the century. "I adore Duirk, he makes me giggle, perhaps that's why Laohu gave him such a nickname, plus, he's cuddly." Xiao Hui had admitted towards Alec, for some odd reason, she always enjoyed the comforts of animals, perhaps it was their soft fur that made it easier for her to feel safe, warm, and snuggly. On the other hand, Xiao Hui was one who loved her space, except. . she hadn't known why she allowed Alec to invade her personal bubble, yet she didn't mind it one bit, not that she'd admit it.


However, as Alec answered her questions she felt relieved to know he was able to redress his wounds and as long as he didn't do jumping jacks, which made her giggle a little, would be fine. But, soon, hearing Alec emphasize that he didn't want to leave her company made her heart beat rather quickly as she felt knots in her stomach. Was it butterflies that most romance novels talk about? Or was she feeling hungry? No, it wasn't hunger, as she felt her cheeks reddened that someone actually wanted to be in her company. Usually, others would run and be grateful to be out of her presences or line of eye sight. Nevertheless, he. .wanted to be around her and he wasn't held by a sword. It was on his own accord and she felt. . . herself smiling widely to herself even more. She should have felt offended that Alec suggested that she needs him since she's always over exerting yet able to handle herself, but instead, she felt happy? Joy? To be cared about. "Are you sure? I have been told I'm quite a hard person to handle. Then again, you're stuck with me whether you like it or not!" She teased, laughing softly as she made her way towards the door as she walked side by side with Alec. "I won't be surprised if Duirk finished everything that was in the kitchen!" Xiao Hui continued, imagining the hyena's head in the bowl, literally. As they arrived the cafeteria, Xiao Hui scanned her area, seeing that Jimbo had been with Duirk while Ash and Rin were on the side looking on at Haku and Fie. At her peripheral vision, she eyed Beth and Majnao but felt some sort of melancholy aura from where they sitting as Beth managed to slip back into the kitchen where she believed she heard Zoe and Bael including Calista and Luness. It was nice seeing everyone chattering about and perhaps getting to know each other. However, her eyes looked for Simon and Leandra, finally spotting Leandra, Xiao Hui heard her asking about the chili, but she didn't really have an answer for her. But, the last person remained, Simon, Wednesday, Sam, and the new member she had yet to meet. Wednesday had fought well, but the other two women she hadn't know. However, knowing Simon, he was probably by Amber's side. So, that just leaves, But, Laohu and Eos. Before she arrived it seemed Eos and Laohu weren't anywhere to be seen. But, nevertheless she knew the two could take care of themselves.


Xiao Hui inhaled the scent of chili (which she had never, ever, tried before but rather guessed since the others had talked about it) and cookies. However, she didn't have an appetite to eat anything because as soon as she was about to join in the conversation with the others, an ominous aura filled the room as Talon walked in. Turning her body around delicately, Xiao Hui observed the saber-tooth cat's tone of authority and sternness as she ended up looking over at Leandra then towards Alec as she waited to for them to walk towards the meeting room as well. She felt like walking with them only because it seemed the others went in pairs and all she wanted to do was give them her moral support since it looked like Darcy nor Talon were having it with them today especially since they disobeyed their orders. Once she entered the meeting area, her eyes went straight-ahead, as she eyed Darcy. His stance and posture, the muderous aura, and the expression he withheld in him could rival. . . no, stop Xiao Hui. However, that didn't deter her stoic expression, she couldn't help but inwardly chuckle to herself, feeling that this was all too familiar, except she was never at the other side of the reprimands. As intimidating, beyond anger as Darcy had looked, Xiao Hui could only see "him" in front of her. . as she never spoke a word or moved a muscle when she found a place to sit. Xiao Hui knew when to speak up and when not to and this was one of those times, she just hoped no one ended up lashing out, causing a huge in fueled fire to ensure inside the room. She did a once-over as she looked between her comrades and the commanding agent in front of her. Xiao Hui was never one to lash out and nor would she start, however, she could understand the blistering rage within Darcy's soul as he stared ahead at his recruits. None of them were trained, they defied orders, and they could have jeopardize the mission. However, they had not, but that didn't mean they weren't going to go unpunished for their actions. If. . she was the one on the other end, giving punishments, despite the success or failure of the mission, defying orders meant death and she could only hope the Agents were much more lenient than . . her Father's rulings. Nevertheless, for once in her life, she felt a sense of liberation, freedom, even if it meant she would have to get reprimanded for defying an order, she did what she thought was right and helped protect Gigi while the others were able to get Agent Strong back. If she had a second chance, she would do it all over again, no regrets.

@SilverFlight @zCrookedz @DawnAntalios @Hel @Sleipnir @Lioness075 @andujarprime @Flutterby @ManyFaces @WoodenZebra @Peaceswore
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As Laohu made his way to the infirmary where Falarion would be, it gave him ample amount of time to have his thoughts to himself. Prowing around the hallways, he thought back to his conversation with Manjano. Why he had revealed such a fear to him, knowing Beth was there, was beyond him. Perhaps it was because he was mute, or rather a selective one, in which he wouldn't speak to others. Why Manjano didn't want to speak, Laohu didn't know, but it wasn't his business to investigate and urge for information from the male. But, maybe it was the fact that Manjano as mute that Laohu was able to talk so much yet at the same time he was feeling a little vulnerable himself and felt like he just needed someone to listen to him besides from Hui. Laohu didn't need a response or even a blink, he just wanted an ear from someone and who better to tell then Manjano who's probably a better listener than half of the people he knew. But, everything he told to him was 100 percent how he really felt, honest and raw. He relied on honesty and trust just as much as his partner. At the same time, he learned a lot from his partner, knowing how to observe and make a conclusion based on someone's actions and expressions with no need for talking. So, he was grateful for Hui since it was useful in times such as these to communicate with someone who didn't speak. Sometimes, it just takes a keen eye to actually get to know someone better than the surface and that's what perhaps, friendship would be like with Manjano. Not like he minded one bit, since the tiger loved fooling around a lot and playing practical pranks, it would be fun to see the expression the male would make.


However, he managed to let out a chuff and chuckle as he remembered Manjano's expression of amusement and annoyance when he mentioned to him that he should perhaps eat like four-legged animals. Though, Laohu rarely would get any food on his fur since he can be a little bit high maintenance and a neat freak. No harm in wanting to keep his pelt shiny and pristine, who knows when he might have to "impress" a tigress. However, Laohu's chuckle lowered as he knew Manjano hadn't taken his praise very well, in fact, he looked ashamed more than content he was able to help Falarion, or perhaps, it felt it was his fault that Falarion was still on bed-rest and a bite to the leg caused more damage and pain than he knew. At the same time, Laohu knew Falarion was suffering from a heart ache, especially with Gigi gone now. But, it seemed the two came hand-in-hand, Manjano's aura seemed to have been fading from a mood that was solemn to one that was full-blown dampened and sour when Laohu had spoken about Jimbo's family. What was the grief that made him have such sad eyes and as if he'd been kicked to the curb? Perhaps. . he was like Hui, no mother. But what about father? Laohu didn't have the heart to ask as he quickly changed from that topic to the next, opening and revealing to Manjano more than he should have about his fears. But, he never regretted opening up to him. It seemed. . sometimes, people need others to open up so that they have to courage and confidence to do so as well. At least, that's what he thought. At least, he was able to amuse the male for a little while and he could only hope Beth would be able to strengthen Manjano's mood even more, especially since the male was still healing from such an injury. Laohu just hoped Manjano had the courage to open up his feeling and to talk it out with someone instead of holding it inside to linger because if it was him, he would go incredibly insane if he couldn't rant out his feelings and frustrations and only used actions. Roaring helped him many times.


As Laohu made it to Falarion's room, he peered inside, seeing the hybrid asleep still, using his nose, he opened the door, pushing it from the outside as he slowly made his way inside. Seeing him breathing in and out as he was resting was a good sign that he was healing, he just hoped that when Falarion woke up he wouldn't be in a frenzy or panicked that no one was with him when he woke up. However, instead of sitting on the chair next to the bed, Laohu hadn't wanted to scare the sleeping wolf when he woke up with his quite charming and handsome face. So, he decided to walk around the area, moving about the room, making little noise as possible to keep Fally from waking up so suddenly. But, Laohu had a lot on his mind, he didn't know how to cheer up a heart-ache nor would he know what to say to the wolf, then again, perhaps he didn't need to say anything, at all. Just listening and being there for Falarion would help a lot, plus, he knew the hybrid was much stronger than he looked. Maybe he'd go and play with ball with him when his leg heeled. Laohu did get distracted easily and it would be a good work-out and therapy for Falarion. He just hoped Falarion wouldn't lose his sense of clumsiness, cheerfulness, and hyper-active nature since that's what made him loveable. However, hearing Hui's voice in his head, Laohu's ears perked up, "Hui," he began, "how's the wound? Wait, what?" He ended up responding when Hui spoke that she and the others would be in the meeting room waiting to be debriefed, though the worry laced in her voice was there, "Agent Darcy is beyond furious with what we have done. Reminds me of "him". Where are you?" She asked curiously, but Laohu only heard "him" before he responded to her question as Laohu stoo there frozen, looking out the window for a second, "The infirmary with Falarion, I'll stay behind and be with him, so keep me updated?" He said half-worried, yet half-curious of what was going to happen. He would literally growl under his breathe if the anger was going to be directed towards Xiao Hui. "Of course." Xiao Hui said before turning her attention right back onto the matters at hand as Laohu looked over at Falarion, waiting for his friend to awaken.

@Lioness075
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The silence was agonizing. Alec had come in with Xiao and had noted her expression. This was going to be hard.


For a long time Darcy just looked at them all, each in turn, as if trying to read their reasons for the direct defiance of orders.


"I don't need to tell you what you did." His voice was level, though it was easy to see he was no less angry. "But I will, just to highlight the gravity of what you've done...Vigilate, discere et mutatio." Darcy quoted the Watch motto sternly. "This organization was built and is maintained through vigilance, intelligence and strategic action. Strategic." He emphasized the word carefully.


"So can someone explain, why our newest team defied direct orders, deliberately endangered the individual they were charged to protect and recklessly charged into an enemy stronghold to rescue an agent they knew highly-trained veterans failed to extract?!"


Darcy's voice grew progressively louder as he listed their mistakes. Duik laid his ears back and pushed his head into Xiao's leg. The feeling of sitting there while being yelled at was a little too familiar for the hyena. Alec was doing a bit better and bent down to put a comforting hand on Duik's shoulder.


Talon stood behind his human companion, looking displeased with the whole situation. The new recruits had endangered themselves, and endangered the popstar too. Though his heart went to them. They had succeeded, showed much ingenuity and strength and he respected that. The big cat watched Simon and Calista more closely than the others. He knew Darcy would target them, knowing their connection with agent Strong.


The little civet, who had been sitting on a chair made her way onto the table before the senior agent.


"Sir, the responsibility is mine. I was commanding the team, when we were sent the exchange letter I devised everything. The recruits can't be blamed for anything but following orders with an extraordinary insight and skill."


Darcy rounded on Calista. "The fact that you were all warned at the briefing nullifies that claim of responsibility agent Calista, but I will admit that you were in charge, and your emotionality given the personal connection with the missing agent cause you to take leave of your senses."


He towered over her, his expression reminded Alec of a hawk about to stoop on a mouse. "Agent Calista you are hereby striped of your rank and fully relieved of any further engagement with the Watch." He turned to the rest of them. "Simon, Jimbo, your files are both under review and you and the rest of the team will be suspended from active service until I can be sure you know how to follow orders."


Takon knew there would be protests, and Darcy did too. Both stood silently waiting for them to come.


@andujarprime @Flutterby @Lioness075 @Sleipnir @crucialstar @Hel @DawnAntalios @Peaceswore @zCrookedz
 
Falarion slowly woke up, letting out a low moan before blinking a bit, his heart rate remaining normal, though it did speed up slightly.


Slowly, Falarion lifted up his head and then wearily glanced about the room to see an empty bed beside himself and Laohu nearby, looking right at him.


Startled a bit by the white tiger's gaze, Falarion's heart rate spiked shortly before returning to normal.


"Ah! Sheesh, I'd say to not sneak up on me, but it's not like you've moved or anything."


Pausing to look at the empty bed beside him once more, Falarion then looked back at Laohu and asked, "Hey, do you know where Manjano is? I swear, they need to strap him down to his bed whenever he gets injured. He doesn't like sitting around and twiddling his thumbs, if you get what I mean."


Sighing, Falarion then looked down at his foreleg, which was wrapped up and probably all stitched up now. Tilting his head to the side, and causing one of his ears to flop a bit, Falarion then sniffed at the bandaging before poking it with his nose and immediately yelping in surprise.


"Okay, okay, that was a terrible idea."


Flashing back to the moment the bear had clamped his jaw down on Falarion's foreleg, Falarion's ears folded against his head and he let out a small whimper as he recalled Gigi attacking the bear to help him get away.


Except Gigi wasn't here now.


Laying his head over his uninjured foreleg, Falarion then whispered, "Gigi..."


@crucialstar
 
Simon sat there and listened to Darcy speak. The more and more he spoke, the more and more his anger grew. It was like being told that they couldn't rescue Amber from the getgo. Jimbo could feel it too, and for the first time in a very long time, Simon could actually feel anger coming from Jimbo as well as his own. This was not the support Simon's brewing storm inside needed. When Calista finished speaking and Darcy rounded on her, It was all the self-control Simon had to not jump on the situation right then.


Before he did, a momentary flash of Amber, sitting in her med bay bed stayed his position. For a moment, he was lost in the image, and he began to focus on her. Slowly, a calm began to creep over Simon's mind. He felt the calm reach out to Jimbo who was gritting his teeth in anguish watch Calista be attacked. The gorilla noticeably relaxed and Simon was able to feel his calming support return to him.


The image of Amber faded and Simon looked up at Darcy when he and Jimbo's names were mentioned. When Darcy finally finished his assault, Simon sighed and slowly stood up. The calm of his partner now returning his mind to clarity, and the thought of Amber bolstering voice Simon looked to Darcy his face as hard and determined as stone.


"Sir! With all due respect, Calista's decision to split and lead the team's fell within Watch protocols for a high ranking member. Calista was never stripped of her rank along with Agent Strong, so she had the clearance to lead the strike team against the Rouge stronghold in the Catacombs."


Simon gave Darcy a second to process then continued.


"Furthermore Sir, our strike team that entered the Catacombs was able to retrieve valuable information pertaining to the rouges and their plan. Agent Strong was with the Rouge and obtained information that is valuable to the mission. It was Imperative that we rescued her for that information after the elite team had failed. Also, our Scout Beth was able to recover images of a machine and the base for review. It is entirely possible that they might hold information vital to defeating the Rouges."


Simon looked over to Beth in the group. He had not had time to talk to her before the briefing, but he remembered during their escape that she was the only one examining the machine. Hopefully, her fancy glasses from Nigel had recorded or taken pictures.


Finally, Simon looked back to Darcy one last time.


"Sir, our team that remained with Gigi were more than capable as was proven on the field. Calista is one of the best field officers The Watch has ever seen. She is loyal, dependable, and one of the most brilliant little fuzzballs I have EVER had the privilege of serving under Sir. If she had thought the team was incapable of a divide and conquer mission, I know she would have done her duty and continued with the initial mission. Jim and I accept our files for review, but you can not punish Agent Calista for doing her job. Sir."


Simon stood as still as steel watching and waiting for Darcy to either tear him down or, the even less likely, take what he had said into consideration.


@andujarprime @Flutterby @Lioness075 @Sleipnir @crucialstar @Hel @DawnAntalios @Peaceswore @SilverFlight
 
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Leandra saw Xiao waiting for her when the team was summoned to go to a debrief and she smiled at the other girl before walking along with her into the room.


Luness worriedly flew after the team and landed on Leandra's shoulder once they all stopped inside of the room.


Both Leandra and Luness simultaneously blinked at the sight of how pissed off Darcy looked. This wasn't going to be good.


Immediately, Leandra's heart began speeding up, as she hated being reprimanded for anything. She had a deep fear of failure and being called out on such a thing always freaked her out.


Luness instantly sensed Leandra's fear and hummed softly while rubbing against the girl's cheek to try and help soothe her.


Feeling Luness' comfort helped a bit, but Leandra's heart continued to race.


As Leandra looked at anything and anyone other than Darcy, she noted how stiff Xiao had suddenly gotten beside her.


Distracted from the angry lecture from Darcy, Leandra curiously tilted her head at Xiao before tentatively reaching out and then taking the girl's nearest hand.


Worried that Xiao would be frightened by the sudden touch, Leandra then quickly whispered, "Hey, it's okay."


Uncertain of what else to say, but knowing that just saying it was okay, especially when it clearly wasn't, was not going to be enough, Leandra added in a whisper, "I'm here for you, Xiao."


By the time Leandra had tuned back into Darcy's angry lecture, she heard the reprimands that the team were receiving for their successful, but apparently, failed mission. Okay, this was just getting confusing. They had disobeyed direct orders, yes, but they had succeeded in their mission with only injuries and no casualties. Wasn't that still a good thing?


Knowing better than to try and argue with the pissed off agent, Leandra kept her mouth shut and instead looked sideways at Xiao again to make sure the girl was all right.


As usual, Leandra felt herself calming when she helped someone else, as opposed to trying to help herself.


@crucialstar


Manjano listened to everything Darcy said and remained silent as ever, his eyes simply bouncing about the room as he watched the others react accordingly.


Seeing Leandra comforting Xiao nearby, Manjano wasn't too surprised. It came naturally for Leandra to care more for others than herself, though he doubted Leandra had taken kindly to Darcy's quiet outburst at the team for their failures. She had a tendency to beat herself up over every tiny mistake she made.


Hearing Simon's response to Darcy, Manjano felt slightly amused at the way he said 'sir' before and after he finished speaking. The Watch seemed to be a paramilitary organization then. Though, that of course made sense considering the past few missions the team had been on.


Regardless, Manjano didn't see any reason to acknowledge anyone's rank here unless they gave him a reason to respect them. To Manjano, respect was earned, not given.


Yet, when Darcy attacked Calista and called her out on her personal connection with Amber, Manjano's eyes narrowed, as he quickly became pissed off with the man. Of course Calista had a damned connection with Amber. It was a spirit animal connection and how could they not expect Calista to do everything in her power to get Amber back safely?


Shaking his head in disgust with the man before them, Manjano quickly grew to dislike him, as he wondered how the man could act so oblivious to that fact. If that man lost Talon, wouldn't he do everything in his power, orders be damned, to get him back?


Sighing softly, Manjano was at least content with the fact that he'd chosen to stay in the back and by the exit. At least, if things went awry, he could exit quickly and quietly to avoid any backlash for what someone else may end up saying.


@SilverFlight


As Simon spoke up to defend Calista and even the team, Leandra smiled softly at the man, grateful for the defense, even though she doubted it'd make any difference with Darcy. The man seemed uneasily swayed in his opinions to Leandra.


Still, Leandra would stand by Simon's side if push came to shove.


Once Simon was done, Leandra glanced around the group, curious to know if anyone else would speak up.


Recalling the outburst from Zoe the first time the team came together in the city, Leandra couldn't help but grin, as she mentally began a countdown until the woman would surely speak up, as zealous as always. Well, then again she was on those drugs and they seemed to be doing weird things to her personality. Who knew what Zoe would say now?


@zCrookedz @SilverFlight @DawnAntalios (mentioned)
 
Zoe listened in silence as Darcy spoke, hearing the agent out. She knew that subjectively she could not judge the actions of her team for it was imperative to retrieve Agent Strong from the clutches of their enemy. It was something that she herself wanted to do from the start but indeed she underestimated the strength of the team - something which after this mission was no longer the case. Seeing what they were capable of she now knew what they could handle - and what she had to say to Darcy.


Stepping forward - well, trying with he crutches anyway - she cleared her throat and began to speak.


" Agent Darcy. " she began " I understand your ire and I also agree that this mission was not only reckless but was also a foolish one. We could have easily died there, we could have easily fell in the trap of the Rogue organization. Frankly, I have agreed with you the first time when you said that we were not read, I also deemed this team being too new to complete missions of this caliber. But I was proven wrong. "


Looking around the room she smiled.


" These people are not just Agents - they are friends, family. They did not focus only on the mission, their utmost priority was to look after each other and to protect those who needed it. They risked their lives for their brothers and sisters, they dove into battle not fearing the consequences - they just wanted to defend all those they cared for, all they loves. That is vigilance. "


She paused, looking at the agent.


" A plan so well refined and actions so swiftly executed could not have sparked from the mind of the dull, they were precise, quick and knew exactly what we needed to do in order to rescue Strong and to sabotage the plans of our enemies. Decoding secret messages and realizing what mechanism the ticking bomb in front of our eyes has: that is what I call intelligence. "


Once again she decided to stop, letting her words sink in.


" And lastly, the most important thing, was the elaborate, delicate plan we weaved. We have analyzed the weak point of our enemies, prepared for everything and we have uncovered their base of operation which will not only hurt them directly but will also slow their advance and will paralyze them for quite some time until they can reconstruct whatever was destroyed there. People call that strategy from where I hail. "


She motioned left and right.


" In my humblest opinion these people on that day did not defy the orders to aggravate you nor did they act to besmirch the name of The Watch. Nay, with this triumvirate of virtues they have shown what a true Watch agent is supposed to be. The heart of loyalty, passion and courage burns within everyone here. If such virtues deserve punishment then so be it, but I think you know what I meant to say with all this. Defying orders is infuriating, preposterous even - but believe me when I say that companionship and friendship give stronger orders than any which mortal man can that it is the truth - I have learnt it now. "


She wanted to show the black rose petal in her pockets but she did feel that it might be too much for now. Instead she decided to walk towards a chair and sit down - this speech took its toll and she had to regain her strength so she just watched with anticipation what the others intended to say.


@andujarprime @Flutterby @Lioness075 @Sleipnir @crucialstar @Hel @zCrookedz @Peaceswore @SilverFlight
 
Rin closed his eyes as he let the situation unfold. He took a deep breath, then another, and finally a third as Jimbo finished up. "Take another Rin..." Haku whispered, she could feel the quiet rage burning inside, and she knew it wouldn't do them any good if he couldn't keep it in check. He took another deep breath, closing his eyes. This time opening them and finding not the debriefing room, but the dark khaki coloring of a tent wall. He was sitting on a collapsible stool, the short stocky agent behind him berating him about his failure. Lightning flashed, followed close behind by the clap of thunder. "You will not!! Under any circumstances move from this base. If she was caught, it was your own fault." Rob's voice higher and more nasally than usual, as it turned when he was frustrated. "I don't care if you can feel her! You will not move. Extraction is tonight and we can't have you get lost as well. End of story!" His tone was final as he turned and walked out of the tent flap to speak with a guard outside. Rin looked down at the dirty, blood stained hands, his torn pants, and his half sheathed katana laying in the grass at his feet. In the back of his head, he could feel Haku, barely, but she was there. She was there, and in pain. She called out to him, and he couldn't go to her. Because "Rob" had decided that it was too dangerous. With a sigh of resolve Rin bent low and scooped his sword up. He stepped to the back of the tent, pulled a dagger out of his boot and cut a slit in the middle of the tent wall. He slipped out and was halfway out of the camp before the alarms were raised. It wasn't hard to get away, the rain was heavy in the jungle today, nobody wanted to be in it, or anywhere near the water when the crocs came up. He looked back as lightning flashed, crank sirens blared in the dark afternoon air. With a sigh he turned and ran, following the general direction where he felt Haku's pain. He tripped over a fallen log, rolling downhill, he clenched his eyes and braced himself for the tree ahead.


The impact never came. He opened his eyes once more to see that he was back in the debriefing room. He listened to Zoe speak as he took yet another breath. Her words served to bring reason to his thinking, helped to ground him to his current reality. She was speaking in the exact opposite manner from when they first met, and he was genuinely happy about it. He opened his eyes and looked back at Darcy from where he stood. He chanced a glance at the grim looking Talon at his side, he didn't want to anger the great cat, but he wouldn't stand by and let Darcy steamroll them, more accurately Calista. When it was something they all decided on. "4 years. 4 years..." He started up with a steel sheet of checked anger "4 and a half years to be exact" Haku cut in from his shoulder before allowing Rin to continue "Senior Officer Darcy. 4 and a half years, 200 missions, 190 of them successful. After all this time am I still a recruit? Still unable to gauge and weigh the dangers of a mission compared to my ability, or my fellow teammates? Not to mention Calista, or Jimbo, or Simon, or Zoe who has mentioned that she has been working for you as well. Are we all considered recruits as well? Your anger is justified, the suspension for us all is justified as well. But don't think to justify standing there and insulting us all. when you should in fact be thanking us. Yes, thanking us for cleaning up YOUR MESS!!" Haku hissed at Rin's sudden outburst. "QUIET BOY!!" Her tone was harsh and threatening. But Rin ignored it. "As for The half of us that actually are recruits, they performed well above the ability of a normal watch recruit. That is twice now that they have been able to pull themselves from both frying pan, and fire with their hide intact. And now, your going to go as far as strip Calista of her rank, AND kick her from the Watch?!" Rin was furious, his voice had been rising, till he was nearly yelling now. "ENOUGH!!!" Haku had to squeeze him so that he could remember where he was, and to check his rage. "I will tell you why we succeeded where your 'veterans' did not Darcy." His voice had grown eerily calm again. The seething rage urging itself to burst once more. He stepped from the wall and began to make his way to the back. "Routine, protocol, call it what you will, in the end there is only one name for it. Predictability." At this he turned to face agent Darcy once more. "The reason your first agents were captured while searching for Agent Strong was because they were predictable. They have an ex-watch rogue, who knows our book by book tactics. Including the protocol for when senior agents don't follow commands." His face was burning with rage, rage and embarrassment. Halfway through his rant, it dawned on him the huge fault in his actions. The lack of logic and reason, and the outburst of emotion. He could very well be kicked from the watch himself. But he couldn't back down, not now that he'd come so far. Not when he went through nearly the same experience as Calista, he knew the horror of it. And for her to be punished for doing her best at what comes natural? That was the biggest injustice of all. Rin stood at the back now, leaning against the wall again. Haku had loosened a little, sensing that his tirade had faded. "Removing Calista from the watch will be your biggest mistake Senior Agent Darcy. One does not face Bobby Fischer and expect to win by needlessly tossing aside their Queen, or Rook, or Knight, or pawn for that matter." His words were calmer now, his rage in check, his cheeks flushed and his eyes clenched as he fought back horrible, painful memories. a single tear rolled down his cheek, he made no attempt to wipe it. No attempt to move as he braced himself for the consequences of his actions.


@SilverFlight @zCrookedz @DawnAntalios @Lioness075 @crucialstar @Flutterby @Sleipnir @Hel
 
Darcy stood quietly through the voices of the team before him, he took in the angry words and withering glares with a stern serenity, allowing all to speak their mind. He frowned slightly as Simon rushed to explain everything and give reasons why the civet should stay on as an agent.


"Talon." He called without looking around. The big cat had already moved to the small computer at the front of the room and extended a keyboard projection large enough for his passive paws.


"Pulling up Calista's file now." He said in his rich voice. "Its true sir, Calista was not involved actively in the actions that caused the mission failure, her rank remains intact."


He turned to Zoe thoughtfully. "Your skill and reputation precede you, and your opinion is valuable. I'll take your statements into consideration."


To Rin he gave a calm nod, but there was a hint of danger in his eyes.


"Agent Takeda, don't think your record with the Watch has been unaccounted for in my decisions. I know very well of your previous...history." He chose the word carefully as he made his way closer to the young man. "I appreciate predictability is dangerous, so don't think that is not taken into account during mission planning, but I would like to point out that in ninety nine percent of cases, what is far more dangerous both to you and your fellow agents is disobeying direct orders." He was close enough now to speak softly, only for Rin's ears. "All I need from you is your skill and your unconditional compliance Takeda, and if I can't have that, then you can go back to your father's shrine. Do we understand each other?"


Turning back slowly Darcy eyed Simon with a look of irritation and begrudging respect. He knew Amber would have had a hand in this little ace somehow.


"Well then. I am quite sure you all feel very strongly about this case. So I will withhold my decision to relieve Calista until I have heard this 'crucial intel' for myself. Agent Sinclair, if you know agent Strong is in acceptable condition I would like us to go to the infirmary now and speak with her. All of us. Agent Heartland? Those photos, please send the card to Intel immediately for processing."


Alec felt like he needed to say a piece too, but he was certainly not an agent prior to this, he was the vet at a bond center, hardly the action hero-veterans some of these people seemed to be. He shot Rin a look of deep respect and grinned at Simon, knowing that everyone who spoke had helped give Calista a chance. The 'fuzzball' it seemed was growing on him as well.


When they reached the infirmary Amber was sitting up in her bed, a nurse had brought her a bowl of hot soup and she was sipping it gingerly. She recognized the look on Darcy's face immediately and stifled a smile. Darcy hated being defied. He had seen too many cocksure agents (good agents) get killed because they thought they could do the mission better than the strategists in logistics.


"Agent Strong." He said gruffly. "I hear you uncovered something of value during your stay with the Rogues."


Amber set the bowl down and wasted no time getting to the heart of the matter.


"The Rogues have been able to keep themselves from turning feral, even after the termination of their partner. I know how they're doing it." Darcy's eyebrows shot up, but Amber didn't let him comment.


"They have a device, and as of yet I have no idea of the science behind it, but it somehow manages to remove the element that creates a bond in a human and lock it into the target animal."


Darcy looked serious. "You've seen this work?"


"No, but I've heard plenty spoken about it...and I've seen the aftermath." Amber explained everything about the room she had seen, she told the of the bodies piled up in the corner of the room and the insignia on the crates the unfortunate people had come from. She drew it out and Darcy had it sent to Intel immediately to run against a database.


"They're using humans to do this...and the process is lethal. Senior agent Darcy...they were going to do it to me."


Darcy did not hide the slight look of horror that crossed his square features.


"Very well." He stepped back from the bed. "I rescind my initial decision to strip Calista's rank, but you are all still suspended from the field. 3 weeks. Talon will organize your specialized training while your teammates heal. Lest hope by then we can pound a few more useful skills into your heads. Dismissed."


Darcy bid them farewell and turned to go. Talon moved to follow, he was smiling triumphantly.


"Well done agents. This time your disobedience was the best course of action, however I advise following the instructions in future missions." he padded out of the room as silently as he had come.


Amber looked at them all gratefully. "I can't thank you all enough, you saved Calista, and you also saved me."


@zCrookedz @DawnAntalios @Lioness075 @crucialstar @Flutterby @Sleipnir @Hel @andujarprime
 
When Rin and Haku had left Ash let out a sigh and leaned back on his seat for a moment. 'Yay, I can feel the rage even though he's out of the room.' He thought as he closed his eyes for a moment before he stood up and walked over to Fie who was downing the last of the chili. "Come on buddy time to get yelled at." He said with a sigh as he picked up the now empty bowl while Fie climbed up his arm only to sit on his shoulder. "Kehe I didn't even get a chance to put up that prank.... Oh well I'll do it later." the monkey hummed while Ash put away the bowl.


After that the purple haired man walked out of the kitchen and to the debriefing room with the others. Upon arriving there he didn't sit but instead leaned against the wall next to the door. He remained there as he listened to Darcy deliver the anger from the higher ups onto them. And when he heard it, Ash and Fie instantly didn't like the news. Sure they didn't go with direct orders, but they got not only two important agents back, but also a merc that may know some information that could be helpful to the cause. Neither of the two said anything for the time as others had beaten them to the protest. Ash silently listened to their protest and his eyes looked at Darcy and Takon. When they were done speaking Ash closed his eyes for a moment, there was nothing for him to say that wouldn't just repeat what the others had mentioned already. So he remained silent and much to his shock as did Fie.


After the moment of silence it was broken when he heard that Calista was in fact keeping her rank. A small smile appeared on Ash's face as he stood there his eyes opening once again now scanning the group. He listened to Strong as it was told about this machine that could destroy bonds between a human and their partner. The idea of such a device made a shiver go down his spine.


Fie looked at Ash with worry who was still looking at the crowd as they continued to talk. 'Three weeks? Well at least that gives me plenty of time to heal, and to get to know these people better! Kehehe Not to mention it will give me plenty of time to think about my next target~~~.' When Amber started to thank them Ash pushed off the wall and scratched his head. He felt awkward to say the least, everyone here knew each other on a personal level he on the other hand. Well he felt like the black duck in a flock of white swans, it was just odd for him and for now he didn't know how to incorporate himself into the team.


So a sigh left him and he turned to the door. 'I'll get to know them later, right now... I think I need a nap.' He thought as he left the room. Fie on the other hand jumped off of Ash's shoulder as he left the room and hopped over to the group. Grinning at them with his happy monkey grin he looked at them. "Kehehe I'm glad my new teammates didn't get fired on Ashys and mine first day with this team. Keheh This has to be the fastest we have ever been suspended! And for once it's not completely my fault!" the small monkey exclaimed feeling rather proud at the fact the suspension didn't happen because of one of his over the top pranks... Speaking of which, he had three weeks of no field work... That means three weeks of plenty of pranky opportunities. Still grinning he snapped his fingers once when he remembered something. "Not sure if I ever fully introduced myself to everyone here! I'm Fie, Ashy's loveable huggable, cool, one of a kind partner! Ashy normally does the introductions but he's on the down side cause of his shoulder, and you guys getting shot, and that pretty lady getting hurt. Tomorrow he should be nice and happy! Oh! oh! oh! Anyone got any candy!? I love candy!" The hyper monkey chirped as he hopped on the edge of his seat twice before jumping up and climbing onto Jimbo's shoulder for no real reason.


@SilverFlight @zCrookedz @andujarprime @DawnAntalios @Lioness075 @Sleipnir @Hel @Flutterby
 
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After SImon had said his peace, he remained standing and watched as the others also spoke their minds. Zoe heart felt analogy of the teams display of The Watch code was very stirring, but when Rin approached and began talking of those who were still "recruits" Simon and Jimbo gave each other sideways glances. The pair had not been aware of Rin and Haku's history with The Watch, and the more he spoke the more it sounded like they had a rough history as well. Not uncommon for those who entered into a life of secrecy and danger.


Simon was able to relax a bit more when Talon brought up the file on Calista and what Amber had said was proven true. Even confined to a bed in medical, she was just as cunning as ever. When Darcy mentioned going to find out from Amber first hand, Simon couldn't help but feel a bit cross. How many times was he going to have to go to medical today, he should have just stayed there and waited for Darcy and the others to come to them. Simon smiled to himself as he and Jimbo followed Darcy and the others to the medical wing back to Amber.


Once they reached her, Simon and Jimbo stood back and listened to Amber tell them about the machine they had rescued her from. the pair became concerned with the sound of what this machine was capable of and how the rogues were able to maintain their sapience after the death of their companion. Simon couldn't understand it, if they wanted to retain their sapience, why didn't they just keep their companion alive. What was the point of such drastic violence towards their humans counterparts?


When Darcy stepped back from the bed and rescinded his orders for Calista, Simon released a breath he felt he had been holding in since they got back. The suspension was fine, some time to heal and train would be good for the group. Simon gave Amber a smile and a wink after she thanked them and he looked down to see Fie clinging to Jimbo's shoulder chirping about candy. He smiled at the little monkey and patted him on the head. He looked up to Amber and then tp the rest of the team in the room.


"You should'a seen these guys Strong. They put up a fight with Darcy that you would'a been proud of."


@SilverFlight @Peaceswore @andujarprime @DawnAntalios @Lioness075 @Sleipnir @Hel @Flutterby
 
Beth lowered her eyes and visibly shrank away from Darcy as he grew more and more intense with his reprimand. Not great timing to be yelled at. When Simon spoke, she tried to focus, but anxiety was rushing through her mind.


Totus puffed up a little, feeling Beth's reaction to Darcy and not liking it. He bent to whisper in her ear. "When your glasses are active, they record everything they show you. Video is stored on a memory card that can be taken out of the left handle." He said. Beth hadnt read the manual, but he had.


Beth nodded and prepared to say this to the group and Darcy, but a quick volley of angry retorts made her bite her tongue. She lowered her head again, only nodding when addressed again. She followed with Totus on her shoulder to Strongs room, frowning when she realized she should have brought the cookies after all. She listened with a frown as Amber described everything that she had seen and that had happened to her. Once Darcy had said his piece and left, Beth gave Talon a small smile and then looked between Simon and Strong.


"Totus says that the glasses actually capture everything I see while theyre active, in whatever view I use. So there is a video of our entire mission on the memory card, including when I was looking at the machine." She said softly, blinking rapidly a few times.


Totus pressed closer to her, and she absently reached up and let him run his beak against her finger. It had not been a good day.


@SilverFlight @zCrookedz @Peaceswore @andujarprime @DawnAntalios @Lioness075 @Sleipnir @Hel
 
As Zoe sat there listening to the other's opinions her smile slowly started to fade. she touched her forehead as she felt a painful throbbing within - it seemed that the effects of the painkillers finally wore off and the pain returned - but with that did clarity come as well. Watching and listening closely at the arguments Ash has brought up she was curious. It seemed many of them had a history with the Watch itself and they seemed to be rather protective about their ranks. She was never bothered by things like that, authority was something she never craved: she was the executive hand of justice, the sword which struck when it was time to do so, leadership was never among her aspirations.


When Darcy started to consider their defensive claims and agreed on visiting Strong for the information they sought she pushed herself up and started walking with the others. Eos joined her on this journey and whispered with amazement.


" That was a good speech, my dear. " he spoke happily " I am glad that you finally realized how important friends are... "


" Don't get ahead of yourself. " she replied with a cold, stern tone " I spoke only the truth, to be punished for saving your allies is perhaps one of the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard. I said what had to be said and done what had to be done, there is nothing more to it. Do not have delusions about anything. "


Eos sighed as he realized what was going on.


" You need to take your medicines... "


" Enough of drugging me, Eos! " Zoe snapped at him " I have grown tired of having dulled senses - I will endure the pain if it means that I will have my clarity, my vision back. "


The old stag said nothing more as thy pushed onward. They finally entered the medical ward where she had spotted Strong. Her heart started to pound momentarily as she observed the agent - she seemed to be in a much better shape than she was before and though she did not want to admit it she was very happy and relieved that Strong was alive and well. With a neutral expression she spoke up.


" It is good to see you in one piece again, Agent Strong. Your cunning is as impressive as your skills as an agent - such endurance is respectable and also commendable. The weaker mind would have broken from but the horrors of that machine, let alone from torture. "


She then heard the final verdict of Darcy - three weeks of suspension from missions. Truth be told she was kind of happy that this has happened for now she had information to hunt, things to find out about the new development in the mystery. If her suspicion was correct then she was in for a very interesting time. Then she heard Fie speaking up, Amber thanking them for saving her, Simon commending everyone how brave they were in front of the senior agent and finally Beth gave her her goggles. Everyone seemed to be cheerful and full of life... it was strange to witness something like this.


" It is true that we have earned a moment of respite. " she said with a calm tone " Our struggles are far from over but at least we have all seen into the maw of the beast, we now know what our enemy is capable of. That this was but the herald of the dark tidings I am quite certain about - yet I must congratulate as well for this meticulously, carefully executed mission. I have not seen a team cooperating this much since quite some time and I am glad that we have seen it through - especially that now Agent Strong is with us once again. "


She turned to Simon.


" Truth had to be told, Simon. That we have acted rashly is and undoubtedly true: this mission could have been a total disaster as well - but alas, high risk missions are just like that. I, however, can not stand while injustice is dispensed: you, all of you, have been brave, courageous and had your mettle tested - and you have emerged triumphantly, cleansed by the trials of war. I must say that I am honored to call you my team. "


Eos looked at her.


" Maybe family as well? " his thoughts invaded the girl's mind but she responded harshly.


" Don't push your luck, Eos. " her response echoed in her mind before she turned back to everyone in the room " I think it is time for us to return to our duties soon. Our vigilance must not waver. "


She wanted to find a place to rest... but somehow she could not muster the will to do it. Somehow it felt... good to be among these people, a feeling she knew a long time ago but she had forgotten it. She felt... a bit alien, watching how everyone was having such a good time but it appeared that their joy granted her some strength as well. So instead she just stood there... and watched.


@SilverFlight @zCrookedz @Peaceswore @andujarprime @Flutterby @Lioness075 @Sleipnir @Hel
 
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