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ꜱᴇɴᴛᴇɴᴄᴇᴅ ᴀᴘᴏᴄʀʏᴘʜᴀ | ᴛᴇɴᴢᴀɪ & ᴛᴡɪʟɪɢʜᴛ ɢᴇɴᴇꜱɪꜱ

Now its up to them to finish their job. New

Tenzai

ᴘᴜʀᴠᴇʏᴏʀ ᴏꜰ ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ᴇɴᴅɪɴɢꜱ
Joined
Nov 10, 2023
Location
ʜᴀʟꜰᴡᴀʏ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴀᴛᴜʀɴ
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ꜱᴇɴᴛᴇɴᴄᴇᴅ ᴀᴘᴏᴄʀʏᴘʜᴀ
A story by @Tenzai & @Twilight Genesis

ꜰᴏʀɢɪᴠᴇɴᴇꜱꜱ ɪꜱ ᴀʙᴏᴠᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴀ ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴᴀʟ ᴄʜᴏɪᴄᴇ, ᴀ ᴅᴇᴄɪꜱɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ ᴛᴏ ɢᴏ ᴀɢᴀɪɴꜱᴛ ɴᴀᴛᴜʀᴀʟ ɪɴꜱᴛɪɴᴄᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴘᴀʏ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴇᴠɪʟ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴇᴠɪʟ.

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Sulfur
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Null
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Forgery
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Tide
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Aether

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Yurushi Prefecture, 20XX
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"Call me a fucking hypocrite for asking, but C-14? Seriously? Isn't that a bit... I don't know... Overkill?"
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ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴠɪᴄɪᴏᴜꜱ ᴄʏᴄʟᴇ | ᴏᴜʀ ᴍɪʀᴀɢᴇ
↻ ◁ || ▷ ↺

Why don't you give me a sign?
I need a last one
When I'm awake, I'm a walking disaster
Fire up my heart and let it burn

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Rain poured on the sinners as they worked on completing their mission objective. They were one of several teams assigned to sabotaging a gambling ring that dealt in more than just luck. Given the responsibility of cutting power, the five of them had worked alongside the team above to enter the casino without alarms being raised. The unconscious bodies of the few gangsters unlucky enough to get in their path had lined the hallways which led from the power room to the entrance outside. "Adriana only asked for the job to be done, Tide. She never mentioned anything about collateral." Tick tick tick. With every button press, the chemical warfare specialist, Sulfur, was well aware of just how much danger they were in. The bomb he placed had enough power to level a small building. However, he would be damned if the mission failed because the explosion wasn't big or distracting enough. With walls like these, thankfully, the explosion would only be contained within the floor, allowing his equipment to function well within mission parameters. "Relax. You and Null make sure you do your job and handle the guards and I'll take care of what I'm good at and handle the explosives." Using duct tape to attach the explosive device to where the building was connected to the local power grid, his job was done. "Fifteen minutes. Unless you want to make this floor your grave, it's time we leave."

[You hear that, Forgery?] Hidden in a parking garage outside was a van that held various displays of the building's blueprints. In front of all of the monitors sat the team's hacker, Forgery. Taking a sip of his iced coffee, he typed a message over to the other team before responding back. [Read you loud and clear, Sulfur. I've made sure the team above knows that the power will be cut in fifteen.] Alt-tabbing over to another window, he brought up the floorplan of the basement they were currently infiltrating. Dots had appeared where each member was located. [There looks to be another stairwell that leads to a maintenance tunnel on the floor your on. You could take it to get outside.] His eyes were kept busy, watching through the various screens which dictated mission information from team member wellbeing over to the cameras of the floor. Though, before Sulfur was able to move, flashlights had shined down the hall, greeting the man dressed from head to toe in standard grade SSU black armor. [Shit. Null got caught. Sulfur, lock the door to the room. Tide, assist Null with taking out the guards. We'll be damned if they make us fail the mission. I'm not going back to prison.]

[On it.] Tide gave Sulfur a nod before bursting his way down the hallway. As he ran, he bit his thumb, drawing blood for him to summon a rifle forged in his own solution in his arms. Should the fight end up lethal, he was ready to commit murder. Nothing was going to get in his way. Right now, their forgiveness was on the line. If not for the SSU, he doubted any of them would have remained alive. All taken from prison, sentenced to death, these sinners were given a choice between a second chance at life by choosing to serve an organization that was hell bent on peace at all costs, even if it led to acts of state-mandated crimes on a scale like this one... Or death. By choosing the former, they were deployed on missions where other, more legally aligned squads would deem deadly to attempt. However, he wasn't going to complain. At least, by working for them, some good would come out of his expertise in hurting others. At least, when he died, he would be able to greet his sister in the afterlife with some level of dignity left. [Null, where the fuck-]

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Punches as explosive as lightning.
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"I'm here."
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Massive impacts that shook the very world around him had called Tide to Null's location. While fighting through fists and kicks was not his particular forte, his strength had granted him the power to do away with the guards without much danger. "It would've made it easier if Adriana allowed us to use ordinary weapons, but I suppose its unnecessary for dealing with hostiles like these." Wiping the blood off his fists, he stared for a moment at the bodies before seeing their chests heave. They were breathing. "Fifteen minutes? That should give us enough time to move these bodies out of harm's way." Giving one a kick on the shoulder to see if they would respond, he eventually picked them up and heaved them over his shoulder. "Can you help me? I'd rather avoid making Forgery angry if I could help it." The blue haired rifleman sighed in relief, unsummoning his rifle. "Yeah, yeah. Just... Don't go off on your own next time and worry me like that." Lifting another body, he joined the armored man's side, moving quickly to keep within the time constraint.

As they brought the bodies outside, Aether inspected them for injuries, holding a cig in his mouth while Sulfur tied their arms together. "Well, the good news is, they aren't dead. Bad news is, they won't be speaking to police when they wake up." Upon closer inspection, he found broken ribs, bruised lungs, and broken jaws. "Why's that?" In between restraining each guard, the gas masked man looted their unconscious bodies for wallets and cell phones for Forgery to sift through later. "How about you take a look at them? Tell me what you see." Sulfur stared at them for a moment, scratching his chin while the other two kept dragging more bodies for them to restrain. "Bruised jaws? I mean, it'll hurt for them to speak, but I don't think-" The fallen angel facepalmed, shaking his head. "Broken. Our friend here decided to punch their jaws down their throats. At this rate, she's going to force them to type up their testimonies."

Once the bodies were moved, Forgery left the van with his phone in hand, taking a look at the timer. "Looks like there's less than half a minute left. If you guys want to take a look." The hacker gestured his hands towards the massive casino building in front of them. "The power to that skyscraper's going out in five... four... three... two..." Before reaching one, the ground shook. Instantly, the lights that once shined from the casino's massive neon sign had gone out. Curiosity and frustration had appeared on the faces of customers and staff who left the building, inspecting what may have occurred from the outside. Due to the potency of the bomb, in one fell swoop, Sulfur had managed to take out both the building's connection to the power grid and its backup generators should an emergency happen. With no technology getting within the infiltration team's way, their main objective was accomplished.

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"Beautiful sight, isn't it?" Sulfur stood proudly, enjoying the view.
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"Now its up to them to finish their job."
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Why don't you give me a sign?
These dreams don't last, love
I see your ghost, need to get to you faster
And each night is a lesson I didn't learn
A lesson I didn't learn

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Then prove it. New
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· · ─ · 𖥸 · ─ · ·

ℕ𝕠𝕨 ℙ𝕝𝕒𝕪𝕚𝕟𝕘: ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕦𝕞𝕖 ☾ ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝔸𝕥𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕥𝕚𝕔

· · ─ · 𖥸 · ─ · ·



The lights had killed both the mood and the atmosphere of the lively crowd in the casino halls. No more the sounds of jeers and clinking casino tokens, or the accusations of a hidden ace up the sleeve. Only the grumbles and disappointment of the patrons as they exited the grand building. This would hit the business hard that was for certain... but that would be the least of their worries when the second team rolled in.

"This is as far as I go, as for the payment I expect—"
The smoking woman was cut off by a thick manila envelope shoved into her chest.

"As for the payment you get what we agreed on, half upfront, the rest after a job... and a bonus for your silence. Be grateful our boss has taken mercy on your gang." The woman was met with scrutiny despite the fae before her never having opened her eyes once since they had met just weeks ago.

"Bonus? You promised safe travels for our—" Rio was cut off again and likely would be for the rest of this conversation. "That is your bonus Rio. You want to protect your people?" The woman spoke and tossed another item at her side.

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"Then prove it."

The woman had tossed a blood blade onto the ground. The chain linked to it ended with another handle strangely enough. "What the FUCK?! You fuckin' supers are all insane I swear to... UGH! Fine. The least you could have done was clean the blade." Rio huffed and the fae laughed. "That task is beyond me. Now either fight or leave and do not return until it's over." "Damn crazy ass bitch."
Rio was met with a sharp bite to the shoulder after all of that, or rather her shoulder plate. "OW! OW OW OW Whatthefuck—" "Mmm~ Metal humans taste funny." Spoke a much higher pitched and innocent tone. Rio was met with fluffy ears and a tail all the while the strange cat was licking her lips. "Fuckin' weirdos... just take me to the damn fight already, Odessa." The woman huffed only to ear a few laughs from the group before her. All woman and all masked, then the radio sounded along the groups comms. ["I have eyes on Lapis, surrounded by six Onyx units. Armed. Obsidian is onsite. The boys have made their debut."] ["Just call me Helena. . ."]

"And that would be our cue. Ri'zu, Astrea, Rio. Let us depart. The others are waiting."

"Ri'zu can't wait~! No-eyes is good at spotting! Let's eat~!"
["...I heard that you know."]
"But it's not wrooooong~!"
["I'm calling you 'Concrete' for the rest of this mission."]
"Awww...."

"Come on already, enough with the bickering. We can't waste time."
Another spoke and Odessa nodded, "By all means, Astrea. Get us in." The older woman spoke and they began to move. Their first obstacle was a team of shady looking security guards, they had gotten half way into the back entry way before being held back by the shady men aiming their firearms at them. Before one could even speak Astrea had clicked her tongue. And Odessa shielded her eyes from view with her hand. "Ri'zu." "Yes ma'am~ Astrea likes a private show~" The cat girl giggled and clamped her eyes over Rio's face. "Bitch what the fuck are you do—"

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"And you will be mine."
One by one each gun had been sat on the ground. The siren's song was often a deadly one... but with no water to drown the mortal men, she let the others take care of it. The fae bobbed and weaved through the sea of men. A flick of the wrist and the sounds of shattering ice left the men as nothing more than hollowed out husks that shattered with a single touch. "Come now. We mustn't waste time.. I won't repeat myself again." "Yeah! Yeah! Let's rock!" Ri'zu giggled as Odessa and her team ran through the hallways. "I'm on sight with the artifact in view, waiting for the next task." The airy wispy voice of the shadow in the comms spoke as he held her vision on their mission objective. "Eyes on the prize ladies, all of our adversaries beyond this point will know what we're here for, and they won't be acting stupid about this. Eyes open." Odessa led her team as Rio stared at the husks of glass. She shivered as her hands prodded the smooth edges of the glass. The otherworldly material was cold and smooth under the tips of her fingers.

"Focus. I don't tolerate incompetence. You want me to hold up our bargain, don't you?" Odessa grabbed Rio and jerked her forward, her cold touch was near blistering to the other as she was forced to follow.

The events that followed were a blur to those around them that had been dispatched. A siren's song, a cool touch, skin being flayed from the bone from razor sharp claws, and the haunting visage of their own shadows coming out to choke the life from them. Rio was witnessing the horrors around them, the sweat trickling down her skin as she chewed her lower lip in anxiety.

The combat was like watching a dance. Motions were fluid and not a single move was wasted as she watched the carnage. Non-lethality was no longer an option for the opposition they were facing now, and doing the job quietly was near impossible with the deck Adriana was handed, but she would make it work.
There was nothing wrong with a little public execution especially when her name was erased from the files. Right now the group on this were simply a nameless organization hell bent on destroying this place. It was a statement.

Of course the cursed artifacts stored here were ripe for the picking and a nice bonus for their troubles. Odessa began to cleave through their adversaries with practiced violence. Her eyes hadn't opened once as she pierced flesh inch by inch, their bodies becoming stiff as they lost their movement. Eyes rolled back as half gargled screams stopped as lips hardened then crackled until shattering entirely. The horrified looks of their last moments of lucidity frozen on what was unbroken. Rio was shortly overwhelmed with it all. She sat there as if her feet had been cemented to the ground. Her eyes widening as she watched Ri'zu pounce over her, a swirling black and pink mass growing around her arms as she sliced a man to ribbons.

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The damned cat was enjoying herself as if she was hunting fresh prey. Long slits made up her pupils and Rio could swear they blinked just as her eyelids themselves closed to blink with them. The cat woman hadn't said a word since the violence started, aside from the sounds of tearing flesh she hadn't heard the woman utter a single word. Then she looked to Astrea, how she drew prey in with her siren's song. The soft melodic humming sounded like an Angel's choir in heaven, those swirling swampy eyes as the the men drew close and her fists drawing closer. The speed at which she snapped their necks was damn near a world record. She had mouthed the three simple words all people wanted to hear at least once or twice and so much more. If it wasn't the fists that had done their enemies in it was the seashell encrusted staff that did the job for her. The conch shell at the top was practically pulsating every time it was met with fresh coats of blood, absorbing the liquid as if it owned it.

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Rio was seeing the depths of this world in real time all at once. She had known since childhood that there were things not of this world here... and she knew there were many mysteries that humans had yet to unravel... but this? The display of eloquent violence was all too much for her. Not to mention the shadows that had swirled as pools of tar on the marble tiles in the room, how they absorbed any that touched it, the way the men sunk, screaming curses at the women before her. Some throwing their guns away to beg for mercy, only for their mouths to be covered in a thick goopy layer of shadowy tar. The sickly pale figure in the middle of inky black pools, sitting there in her stained black dress as the darkness loomed over her very being.

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Her breaths had become shaky as she shook her head. "This... This is INSANE!" She called out as she ran forward to pull out the remaining soldier in the tarry waste only to catch a bullet to the ribs. She coughed and hacked as a flurry of lead rained down in her direction, only for sheets of clear glass like material to snake upward as a barrier. "I told you this Rio, you fight or you flee. I will not allow you in the way of required cruelty!" Odessa yelled out as Rio shook her head. "F-Fuck... FUCK!" The woman screamed out in frustration and lunged forward, her blade clashing against another as Odessa had taken a blade to her side. The weapon lodged and caught on her bones as she smiled. Her body growing into a glass body as she shattered immediately, giving Rio an opening.

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"YOU BUNCH OF PSYCHO SHITS!" Rio called out as she hacked and slashed at the man behind the other blade. Her body moving on her own as even she was surprised at the deadly blows she was delivering. An arm and a leg later she had stood clashing a blade against a blade. Holding steadfast, her angered frustrated cries only increased in volume as she pushed back against her attacker, Blood gushing from the open hold in her shoulder. It wasn't enough.
The blade was brought down onto her other shoulder, Rio shrieked in agony at first before the world fell numb around her. Next was the shattering of glass and the bullet that had blown through the skull of her attacker. Falling to a knee, Odessa had stepped out through the marble tiles and had thrown Rio over her shoulder. "We'll take this one with us." The haze of battle faded and Astrea was wrapping a strange blackened Bismuth cube in a blue fabric then encasing it in some capsule. "The new toy's broken?" "And she will be fixed. Now let's grab the rest and haul ass. These lights won't stay off forever."

["Subject Lapis is down."]
"Oh don't worry, we all saw it. Though next time don't hold back on your aim. The new one is missing limbs already."

There was silence on the comms as Odessa was busy sealing the wounds of Rio's severed limbs with crude magic. Helena absorbing the organic bodies that hadn't been turned to statues of glass. There wouldn't be a single spec of body cam footage left to find when it was all said and done. Ri'zu was busy picking her teeth with a split rib bone as she glowered over the remaining weapons and armor that Helena's tarry mess left behind. "So what do we do with the pew pews?" She asked, her tail swishing left to right as she tilted her head at a near ungodly agnle. "They'll break. And then they will find nothing but shells and glass... They won't be able to comprehend the scale of this attack... Though I recommend we leave sooner than later. Astrea, is the package secured?" "Already getting ready to send it to base, Odessa." The siren spoke as she pulled out a small box. She tapped the buttons across the little screen and the container began to expand until she could stuff the package inside. A digital smiley face flashed across the pixilated screen as it simple vanished out of sight. A little worm hole taking it away, and a confirmation through their radios.

"Let's get ready to move out, I have no doubt that we won't be resting easy tonight. Now look alive."

["Odessa... I'm sorry. I'll—"]

"Silence, there won't be any sorrys from you. You've done well Isha. Now keep at it and spot for us, we aren't out of the woods yet. We need to reconnect with the other team."
"Alright, Let's be on our way. Package has been received."
"Yippee~!"
"Hmph... I'll meet you there..."


Rio's vision faded in and out, and before long it had gone dark for her, the clicking of heels and manic giggles was the last thing she heard before the world around her grew just a little cooler.
 
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I'll be damned if we gotta deal with cops too. New
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The sounds of gunfire over idle puffs of laced smoke.
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"Looks like it's time for plan B. Drop the smoke. We're moving."
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"I'll be damned if we gotta deal with cops too."
ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ꜱᴘʟɪᴛ | 1ɴᴏɴʟʏ
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While crime was an ordinary occurrence in the Yurushi prefecture, violent crime was not. It made the local government look weak, hence their massive investments in militarizing their police force to maintain face should the worst arise. Unfortunately, due to the nature of their mission, it was unlikely that they would know of what was going on at a state level. If they were caught, especially with explosives and weapons on hand, they would not be granted lenience. Rather, they would immediately be made examples of. As such, plans were made should the worst arise. Upon receiving their order, Sulfur and Tide withdrew their cigs and stomped them out, leaving nothing but ash and smoldering remains. Rolled inside were hints of a drug meant to keep their sociopathic tendencies in check. "The local police feed is lighting up. Emergency calls are coming from the casino and the buildings and streets around it."

"Five and a half minutes." Standing beside Forgery in the back of the van, Aether had used his divination to look ahead. "Five and a half minutes before this area becomes locked off. Exits are being cut as we speak." With his vision now coming to an end, his eyes had lost its holy luminosity. "Got it. I'll go ahead and let the others know that we'll be meeting them in a new location." Rapidly typing at the keys, he quickly shot a message over to the other team's leader while Aether walked over to the front to start the van. [We're swapping over to Plan B. Exfill point D. Inside the back of your van is a locker that holds ordinary restaurant dresses fitted to your size. We'll be meeting you at the restaurant called the Jade Garden. Its best you hurry. Police will be all over in five.] Without waiting for his hacker to finish, the van took off from the parking garage, leaving the unconscious outside. They were going to be the police's problem now.

As they drove through the commercial district's streets, due to the lockdown in effect, the traffic that they usually expected had died down, leaving the roads bare of other vehicles. It was an eerie sight given how efficient the city could be at tackling their inner issues when they wanted to be. However, internal corruption had made utopia an impossibility. There was too much money in the wrong hands for the locals to know peace. "Aether?" Sulfur walked over to the front passenger seat, sitting beside the fallen angel. His mask was hanging at his neck, allowing him to return back to some semblance of stable mind. "I always wanted to ask you. How long does your foresight go for anyways?" His eyes squinted, flashing its divinity for a moment before making a turn to avoid certain intersections.

"Seven minutes but I'll need to channel it and make a decision. A minute if I'm not given the space to think." Again, his eyes had flashed before making another abrupt turn. Police were wandering the city streets, in search of potential suspects fleeing the scene. "Hmm... Are there any limits?" Striking conversation to keep Aether's nerves down, the fallen angel didn't appear phased. After living an eternity with this curse, he grew used to wielding it without much thought. "I have to be there to predict it. If I wasn't around you, I don't know what you'll be going through." The van had slowed to a near stop before reversing down an alley as a helicopter spotlight waved through the streets. "It's not as great of a boon as you think though."

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"Often, you see the bodies of the people around you, especially in this line of work."
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An angelic curse that granted those around him a sense of immortality.
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Sitting in the back of the van was Forgery looking over the menu with Null and Tide. "Hmm... Those dumplings look pretty good. What do you think, Null?" While the back had rocked back and forth as they drove, the masked man remained for the most part silent, preferring to speak less and do more. "Fried rice." Clapping his hands together, the hemomancer couldn't help himself but have his mouth water at the thought of what the food would taste like. Their barracks lacked a great cook of its own, often leading to them needing to order food from the outside to avoid needing to stomach Null's bland but nutritious food. "That sounds wonderful! Order that! Order it!" Forgery rolled his eyes before ordering enough in advance for their party so the food would be ready as they arrived. While the restaurant might have been a lot more fancy than what he was used to, he took comfort in knowing that he wasn't the only one who would feel out of place. His band of misfits were bound to garner attention from the staff.

Though, before they were able to reach their destination, they were met with a final obstacle that was unavoidable: A police checkpoint denying people access into and out of their zone of interest. Given their out of place look and the fact that they stored weapons and explosives in the back, it was likely that they would be stopped and searched if they failed to feign innocence. "Shit." Forgery closed his eyes as he attempted to navigate the different avenues of escape. As he searched through his memories, he could hear the sound of weapons being loaded. Upon opening his eyes, both Tide and Null were ready for violence. "Relax! Guys. I have a plan."

Motioning his arms downward in a display to calm them both down, he returned to his computer to forcefully inject himself and his crew into a local police database as undercover operatives. Quickly, he opened up photoshop to recreate proper police identification with his face on it while they waited in line for police inspection. Without stopping, his hands had drawn the awe of the passengers inside, thundering at the keys and slamming at the mouse as he performed digital miracles in front of them. By the time they had made it to the front, Forgery had swapped places with Aether, letting him sit in the passenger's seat while all of his suspicious counterparts remained hidden in the back seat. "License and registr-" Before the policeman manning the checkpoint uttered another word, he recognized the scent coming off of sulfur. "Freeze! Out of the vehicle with your hands up! All of you!"

Feigning confidence, Forgery withdrew his badge, displaying a rank three levels higher than the policeman in front of him. "I wouldn't recommend you shoot unless you want to lose your job." Noticing the badge underneath the light, the policeman's sergeant instead approached them, telling his own to step back and let him handle this. "Finally, someone who looks like they know what they're fucking doing. We just came back from a mission. A nasty drug bust." Leaning forward, the smaller hacker had caused the sergeant to take a step back. "How about you do us both a favor. You let us through, and I won't make you and your partner over there deal with the paperwork of pointing a gun at an undercover operator." The sergeant gulped before waving them through. "This way sir. I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening." Slowly pressing his foot on the gas, Forgery lifted his window. "Smart choice, Joshua. Would've been a shame if you lost your career over someone stupid." A flash of his own eyes had revealed a short facial scan had given him all the info he needed to break him.

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The Jade Garden
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"Welcome in, please take a seat. We'll get right to you gentlemen shortly!"

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A short change in a parking lot later, the men had entered the restaurant, finding tables sitting alongside a wide window that led into an indoor garden. A pool had resided within, bubbling with passing koi. Immediately, Sulfur and Tide had waltzed over to the bar while Null and Aether had chosen a seat at a table for ten beside the window. "We're actually here for our reservation for ten." Dressed in suits, they didn't garner suspicion, despite their odd looks gathering attention. "Oh! That table your friends are at was actually reserved for you! Is this your entire party?" The cute waitress working the counter leading into the dining room tilted her head. "The other five will be here soon. I'd rather start with them if that's fine with you."

Eventually, upon gathering drinks for themselves and their teammates, the chemical specialist and the hemomancer had returned to the side of the reserved warrior and the fallen angel. Forgery on the other hand had stood outside, waiting for the other team to arrive from their mission. Little was known about them, other than the fact that their team leader was a woman. "They're late." He muttered to himself, leaning back against the cool wall of the restaurant's exterior. [Did you all make it out?] As he messaged her, his cybernetic eye had flashed. It was a personal project that helped him hack and interface with technology nearby. Though, before he waited for too much longer, he noticed a similar looking van pulling into the driveway. They were finally here.

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"Took you long enough. I was beginning to get worried."
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"Name's Forgery. I've been told by Adriana that you're the team we'll be working with from here on out."
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These guys sure know how to pick a nice date spot! New
["Roger that, We'll be fashionably late, expect us soon. Anyone in your team a dedicated medic? We have some... unconventional methods, but if you have someone better on your team than Ri'zu and Astrea then we'll take that. We had a few complications in the field."] Odessa was the first to speak, the girls had quite literally bagged up Rio and took off to the escape vehicle stuffing her under some bags and strangely enough... cold meat and vegetables. "Yeah Ri'zu thinks this is overkill!" "Just put the dress on, and stop speaking in the third person already!" Odessa sighed and the girls hastily dressed up. "Seventy-two percent Rayon? Would it have killed them to look for satin? Crêpe? Silk? I understand I'm old, but good gods." "Ri'zu can't taste the difference." The cat shrugged much to Odessa's annoyance. "That's what we get for letting men shop for us." Astrea sighed and Odessa rolled her eyes. "Men or women that's irrelevant just—" "Just put the damn dress on Odessa." Astrea snarled and the fae rolled her eyes as she stripped down and donned her new outfit. Ri'zu needed a bit of help, mostly because of her tail that kept swishing under the dress itself. "Yeah! Ri'zu thinks you should put the dress on!" The cat smirked only for both Odessa and Astrea to face her.

Ri'zu got behind the wheel as Astrea and Helena looked over everything. Isha was just getting in and changing too. All of her tactical gear packed up and hidden. It made a fairly nice pillow for Rio all things considering. You'd think they were wrapping a dead body and its limbs, and if it weren't the combined magic of the girls then they really would likely be hauling a body right now.

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Right as they were coming up to the police gates Ri'zu stopped the car as she was ready to pull out the needed documents. "Heh? And where are you fine ladies headed?" The man had asked as the cat girl threw up some pretty convincing tears. Astrea was also in the passenger seat, giving the officer a fearful look. Their side was met with some traffic. Many people were still evacuating the casino after the power was knocked out. "Well we were gonna enjoy my friend's birthday, but with all that happened we're just so shaken up! So we're just gonna have a nice little cook out~ So much for a fun vacation am I right?" Ri'zu was laying it on thick, and with such a generally happy personality it was so strange seeing her mock sadness, especially with it coming off so genuine.

"Well I'm sure you pretty ladies will have a great night, but if you don't mind... could I check the back of your vehicle?"
"Go right ahead~"
Ri'zu smirked as the man gave her a nod and walked around back, opening the doors only to see make up being done and a half dressed Odessa now covering her chest with her arms. "A warning and a knock would be lovely, next time." Odessa huffed as the man attempted to break the awkward sight with a dry cough. His eyes flying between the girls and looking away. "S-So sorry, so sorry, I thought I was loud enough. Ah..." They didn't show it, but between Odessa and Astrea they always found it so amusing when a man was rendered speechless just by looking on them when indecent. Odessa was aware what she was doing. She had been aware since the van stopped and she pulled down the front of her dress to cause some tension.

And it worked, with nothing out of place they looked like a group of girls whose night's been ruined and now off to find their airbnb or the hottest club they could run off to for the night. Not even the search dog picked up anything anything strange. Meat, Produce, and the like all disguised with some subtle illusion magic was the perfect cover for the bloody half living Rio buried under the pile. "Well I'll let you ladies get on going now, you guys drive safe. The perpetrators are still out there and still dangerous. If you see anyone suspicious do not hesitate to put in a tip." He spoke with a calm smile as the girls nodded, bid some friendly farewells and drove right off.

The rest of the drive was as simple as could be, and before they knew it the girls had arrived, empty stomachs and all.

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One smooth parking job later and the girls filed out in their prim and pretty dresses. They weren't ball gowns by any means, but it was enough to catch eyes. Odessa had heard her contact come through on her ear piece as she fixed her hair. ["Just parking in. See you in a moment."] She spoke and one by one the girls switched off their ear pieces and stowed them away somewhere or another. "Wowie~! These guys sure know how to pick a nice date spot!" Ri'zu teased only to get eyerolls from the other women in the group. "Let's just relax... I'm starving..." Astrea mumbled and placed her arms on either side of Isha to help guide her in.

Odessa approached first, Ri'zu and Helena on one end and Astrea alongside Isha on her other side.
"Well I'm quite charmed to meet you all~ You may call me Odessa." She allowed herself a smile and looked all of the men up and down. "I am to assume you're the team leader for this squad?" She asked and took her seat after leaning forward to shake his hand. The women on either side of her exchanged brief hellos with the group before them then took their own seats. "Ohhh~ What are we getting??" Ri'zu asked and looked up at Odessa, her tail began to swish under her dress and her ears began to flicker and twitch. "What ever that pea sized heart of yours desires, Ri'zu." "Awwww you're not gonna order for me~?" "No." "But you order for Ishaaaaaa!" "Ri'zu, Isha can't even see the fucking menu." Astrea chimed in. It was all harmless banter and Isha just seemed to giggle as their menus were placed in front of them. It had been a long day, and a casual chat among co-workers in a fancy cafe was a perfect way to unwind after the previous events. "It's a pleasure to meet the team, Adriana briefed me on the lot of you, Meet Ri'zu, Astrea, Isha, and Helena. As you noticed, we handle the more... intimate matters. The ones who ensure no traces are left behind." Odessa spoke and sipped on water that had been placed before them, a slight scowl on her face towards Ri'zu who fell back into her animal instincts. Lapping up the water like a house cat would.

"I must say, your team surely knows how to impress... that whole thing with the... well... you know... it was fantastic. Artistic even~" Odessa smirked and leaned back in her seat, Astrea had pulled out her phone to check up on media coverage, "Hmph... they waste no time." She muttered and slid her phone over to Forgery. It was a silly piece of tech. A normal phone drowning in overdone decor with pearls, shells, and charms across the back and borders. It was... creative.

As for Isha and Helena it was evident that neither were really the type to speak first. That and Helena was focused on reading off the menu options for Isha. She was blind that much could be said, why she was an operative and her position as an active field agent? Well that would be explained at one point or another. Hopefully soon. Very soon. In private.
 
I get it if we're tools to be disposed of. Honestly, I might even prefer it so I know how to feel. New
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'Blank profiles. How intriguing.'

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"That depends on what you define as team leader, Odessa."
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"I guess you could say, I'm something of the sort." Approaching the fae woman, the team's hacker removed his gloves in order to greet her properly. While Forgery did expect to see an experienced team, little did he know anything about their composition. Adriana had kept them a secret, only giving enough information for the two parties to work alongside each other without identifying each other. In front of him, the species that followed by her side had brought him to question. There were no humans among them but rather an assortment of oddities and exotic species. "I'd ask where Adriana found people like you, but I'm assuming you're starving and exhausted." Even if he wasn't able to identify them using the files in the SSU servers, his eyes were still able to detect their bio-signatures. Sweat had dripped from several of them as a result of the physical exertion from their mission and a low grumble could be heard from the Siren's stomach. "No point in discussing everything out here. We could talk about it over food." Opening the door for them, he appeared gentleman-like as they entered the building, taking quiet pictures of their side profiles as well to begin building a profile of them without their knowledge.

The inside of the building appeared larger than how it did outside. With an open air garden making up its central space with tables and fairy lights hanging above, it was meant to offer wealthier parties an authentic Asian cuisine experience in both environment and taste. Aether and Null sat at one of the tables, discussing the night and the menu over cups of tea. Sulfur and Tide on the other hand were walking back from the bar with bottles in hand, somehow able to convince the bartender to let go of one of his more expensive bottles through what Forgery assumed was a bribe or a threat. Still, without a weapon in sight, save for a staff that sat behind Astrea's back, the hacker didn't feel like he was in any need to worry. At the least, his own men were tame when it came to the affairs of eating. Entertainment and peaceful discussion on the other hand were another thing entirely.

As the women began to take their seats, the team put down their menus to observe their new partners in crime. Null was the first to notice, staring at the transparent ghost that hovered over to the seat in front of him. Often did he put an end to lives, but little did he know that there were some stubborn enough to exist after their expiration date. Helena's presence made him question whether some of his other victims before had ended up similar to her condition, though to the rest of the party, his mask hid his emotions, leaving him appearing blank except for the subtle tilts in his mask that were used by the other guys in his crew to tell what he was thinking.

Tide on the other hand was met with two girls sitting by his side, specifically Isha and Ri'zu. Despite the three of them being beastkin, he felt like they couldn't be any further apart. Ri'zu appeared much more friendly than him, while Isha on the other hand had kept an air of reservation. "Oh, I recognize that voice." He turned to Ri'zu first, hearing her speak excitedly to her boss. "You're the one who's always sounding like they're having fun. Didn't think you'd be that short though." While he had his attention turned, interestingly, Isha was able to hear the subtle whispers of his blood up close, beckoning him to be used. Whatever lived inside of him had treated Tide like a cohost, acting like a symbiote with a roommate.

Upon sitting beside him, Aether stood up to leave. Having so many new others arrive at the same time had made him tense, straining his mind without the muttering of a single word towards him. Too many new fates had availed themselves to him at the same time, all these possibilities being subject to the same risk that his closest allies had undertaken while serving their sentence. "Forge. I'm gonna be outside if you need me. I'm getting a headache." With an understanding nod of his head, his team captain gave the angel his affirmation. "I'll bring you out some food once we're done. Just text me what you want."

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As soon as the others arrived, he made his departure. With the only available seat separate from the one that Aether took up being in front of Sulfur at the end of the table, the unmasked man looked curiously at the siren. "So you're one of the people who's been working with us, huh?" His eyes went from her attractive face down to her legs. "Drink? Tide and I managed to bag one of the bottles on the top shelf. A wine that's called Ether, made of plants grown without sunlight." Pouring her a glass of the glowing liquid before pouring one of his own, it was far from any wine he had tried before. Its odd look was what interested him most.

"Ah, I don't think I've introduced myself, didn't I? I'm Sulfur. My team's chemist and weapons expert." His eyes were drawn towards her staff. Interestingly, his mask couldn't detect the same magical potency that Tide's blood had, though one look at her hands had revealed to him practice with its material. "And you are?" Grabbing his glass, he lifted it up, causing Tide's own to be lifted in addition. It was a common courtesy for the two drinkers to celebrate new meetings, since no one knew when their departure would be. "To surviving long enough to finally meet each other in person and to surviving until retirement, cheers!" "Cheers!"

In the center of the table sat Forgery and Odessa, the two team leaders in the middle of all that went on with their teams interacting. "Wish Adriana would have done the same for us, but I understand. Its not like we're the most welcome people around." On one side of the table were agents that were considered Adriana's trusted. On the other were felons given a second chance as a result of their abilities. "Though, it does make me wonder why she'd think we'd be a great match for you. If you couldn't tell from how we performed, we're not exactly the most subtle of teams."

As Forgery reached over to take a drink of the water the waitress offered the table upon Aether and Null sitting, the sudden compliments caught him off guard. In his opinion, the job was sloppy, their oddities leading to constant extraneous factors coming into play. Much more guards were present than expected, leading to an additional component that Forgery had to work with on the fly. Then the gunfire occurred and the explosion was larger than he expected, leading to a quick police response that forced him to come up with hacking the police database and forging identities on the spot. In combination, a lot of what he done was controlling all the consequences of his team's actions. While they were all capable, they often left a mess that he had to clean. "Thanks for the compliment. If anything, we get the job done, even if the methods we employ aren't the most reasonable." He sighed, turning to his own team. Far from perfect, while there might have been better, he didn't wish to replace any of them. Chemistry had formed over their shared circumstances and each brought a unique edge to the table.

"That being said, do you know anything about what Adriana has in mind for us?" Shifting the topic of conversation, Forgery's eyes ran through databases in front of her, scanning while he stared blankly at her due to the various displays appearing in his irises. "Ever since we got hired, all we were given was mission after mission. No amount of digging could give me a hint of what's going on in her mind." Taking his attention off the displays, he leaned further into the table, placing his shoulders on its surface while his chin rested on his knuckles.

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"I get it if we're tools to be disposed of. Honestly, I might even prefer it so I know how to feel."

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"But every time I think it's our end, she always finds a way to be there when we need her."
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ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴅᴇᴀᴅ ᴇɴᴅ | ʀᴀᴠ
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So, despite my better judgment
I will turn to you until we can both figure this out
Cause all that i and you have built is worth the fight

Even if it's mortifying, we'll prevail
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Adriana was a cold boss. Her emotions were hidden underneath a thick layer of stoicism making her hard to predict and even harder to read. Every single time the human had felt like he had a reading on her, he would be met with far more kindness than he expected. "Why? I've heard that vampires are often the manipulative type. Every other one I've met in the SSU had been pretty much the same. Prideful. Selfish. Self-serving. At times, even her." Sighing, he scratched his chin in thought before hearing the footsteps on the server approaching him. "Why would she even care about us?" He muttered, putting on a face of normality to avoid raising suspicions from the waitress.

"I'll take the fried rice, the peking duck, and the hot soup for the guys." Choosing from the menu, he pointed out his choices. "And I'll keep the menu if we want anymore." Raising his hand to Odessa, he gestured the waitress' attention to her. "Go ahead and order what you like. We'll just talk about this later."
 
For starters, I'd like to repeat that it's a pleasure to meet you all in person New
Odessa seemed rather pleased at his consideration, but she would answer him anyway. The girls all sat by one another. Odessa taking her spot in front of forgery so that they may discuss more and introduce her team. She looked side to side at her fellow colleagues. Astrea had immediately gone for the water just shy of chugging it as she finished it in only seconds, Ri'zu also went for her glass of water, lapping it up as cats did. "For starters, I'd like to repeat that it's a pleasure to meet you all in person, In truth most of us haven't been a part of the organization for quite as long as our little rabbit has." Odessa let out a chuckle and fixed her bangs as she looked over the menu, tea would be a good start. Sweet and earthy to refresh the body and her mental state.

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To put it simply, the lovely lady has brought us from all walks of life. Isha technically is the oldest agent in our ranks, she's been... involved with the organization at a young age. Though perhaps it's more appropriate for her to tell you that and not I, you can call me Odessa. I'm the team leader and one part of our... 'clean up crew' so to speak. If you have any plans to run by in working together you can bring it up to me. I'm very flexible when it comes to planning, and I'm rather openminded to ideas... it'll be a pleasure to work with you more." The woman smiled, yet her eyes never opened.

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Seeing her teammates socialize with the new group was refreshing. It wasn't long since they all first met each other themselves, now that they were meeting a new group it was intriguing to see who would get along with who. She had made her predictions then and there, smiling a little wider. She had to stifle a laugh at Tide's comment about Ri'zu being short.

"Heeyyyy! Rude~! I may be short, but that just means I can squeeze into small spaces! You're lookin' at the teams best driver and best tracker~!" Ri'zu grinned and blepped out her tongue, it was hard to say whether or not she was more cat than person, but if there was anyone that could sense the more dark and corrupted nature of the cat girl before them, it would likely be Aether. "Let not her childish behavior fool you. Ri'zu truly has the skill she claims to. She could even tell apart shifters and mimics even in their disguised forms." "Yep yep! I just gotta taste ya first! Then I can tell anyone impersonatin' ya!" The cat's tail swished back and forth as she hosted a proud air about her. She was the groups most eccentric member, but she was on this team for a reason. The best of the best were handpicked from Adriana herself and Ri'zu being apart of that spoke volumes alone.

As for Helena and Isha they hadn't paid much mind to the group, looking over the menu first. While the strange spirit had the eerie atmosphere about her, it was hard to say what she could have been in her past lift, hell it was even harder to distinguish the era she had come from all together or if she was a wraith that had crossed the veil between worlds. She eyed the others curiously, but went back to the menu to help the blind rabbit with her order. She even ordered her own meal as well, not something spirits would care to do because of... well... their nature of being hella dead. Isha was mostly staring at the menu even if she couldn't read it. Shivers were shooting down her spine, mostly because she saw things others did not. Her ears were folded back and she sighed shakily. Helena began to whisper, calming her friend down as best as she could. They could both see the nature of the angelic figure before them. More eyes than any thought possible, rings of pure gold that could never lose their luster. Even Odessa, a being of true natural magic could not look upon Aether's true form with such ease. Once the angel excused himself that's when the bunny began to calm down. Reaching out for her cup of tea and sipping it carefully.

Astrea on the other hand was gladly partaking in the wine drinking. She gave a nod of thanks as she took the glass and swirled the glowing liquid around before taking in the aroma and then a sip. "Ah, you can call me Astrea, I'm a siren a type of merfolk if you couldn't tell... I'm the team's hand to hand specialist and their best tech analyst... so in short I beat people to death and I'm pretty good at computers out of the girls here. And there's the siren powers and what not, but you get the gist." Astrea chuckled and took a long drink from her glass and sighed in delight. She joined their little toast, the other girls followed suit as Astrea grinned. "May we never go to hell, but always be on our way!" She chirped, the reactions from the others were some exhausted yet relieved sighs and a few smiles.

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The strange spirit woman seemed to pipe up next now assuming a far more corporeal form. "Call me Helena, it's a name I've adopted. I'm the other half of the clean up crew, and the teams infiltrator... I pretty much get past anything you want me to... or anyone for that matter. I'm more or less Isha's seeing-eye dog." She wasn't as quiet, now taking on a proper tone to introduce herself formally. She had a natural pout and baggy eyes to match the sickly pale skin, but overall she didn't mind being here. All that was left for the time being was the bunny. "It's nice to meet everyone! I'm Isha! I'm the teams sniper, and their best spotter!" She was the embodiment of 'fake it 'til you make it', it wasn't hard to tell that she was a bundle of frazzled nerves from her shaky hands to her sheepish smile. Despite the lack of confidence though, she was still here for a reason and a damn good one at that. The blind bunny being the best shot was moderately concerning though.

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"Now now, don't look at me like that boys. Isha is very obviously blind, but don't let it fool you. She has abilities that can allow her to see the body and the soul of a person. Nothing hides from her, nothing." Odessa spoke with warning as the other girls nodded in agreement. No amount of disguising could fool the bunny girl. Her and Ri'zu were similar in their abilities. Having them on the same team together worked out in their favor, always having the jump on a target trying to be slick.

"I take it the one that just left isn't much of a talker? I do hope he will come around, by the looks of our success we may be working together and we may even share living arrangements since the op went off without error." Right, Adriana did make mention of that. While some of the girls themselves were also less than innocent it seemed that their esteemed leader made the right call in grouping them together.

Astrea gave Forgery a smirk and shook her head amused, "Listen buddy, you should see the guys we handled." She snickered and leaned in, he could see the pink glow in those teal-jade eyes. "Nothing. Left. Not a hair nor bone." Astrea hummed as Odessa looked to her and cleared her own throat, snapping the siren out of her unintentional charm attempt. "Let's talk about the op later... and maybe over a screen..." "Ah- My bad my bad, when the blood gets pumping my abilities get outta hand." Astrea shrugged and leaned back as she enjoyed more alcohol.
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Forgery brought up the main question to light, quite frankly it was one she herself wanted to know. "Honestly? That broad has a lot going on in that head of hers... but I can't say I don't get it. There's a lot on her shoulders. Much more than the lot of us combined... she gave me a taste after I pushed my curiosity too far. It gave me quite the headache and I mean that in a literal sense."

The gift of future sight... it wasn't something to be taken lightly, hell it wasn't really a gift at all to those that possessed it. Odessa had unfortunately pushed Adriana a bit too hard the day they met. Adriana had never lost her cool like that until that day, Odessa was forced to see her own death, she was forced to see her home in ruin... and not much had gotten to the true fae until that moment. She was given dozens of visions, a drop in the ocean for someone like Adriana who had tens of thousands of those same visions every hour of every day. Odessa had gone nearly insane that night, holding onto the memories of what could be herself dead in the future, dying around every corner... She wasn't going to question her ever again after that.

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Odessa listened to his concerns, but before she could answer... Isha was the first to speak, she looked upon the man with milky blue eyes. They looked familiar even if they were fake. "Adriana is someone we can't really explain... Vampires are exactly as you've described... and while many would scoff at what I have to say... Vampires are more human like than many think... Some vampires want to be away from it all... and some want to live peacefully whether there are people like us around them or not." Isha explained and Odessa nodded. The little rabbit had explained it much better than she herself ever could. "She's certainly not perfect, and neither are we... but if she wanted us dead, she would have killed us already. I believe she has big plans for us in the future. Though aren't we all self-serving and prideful? They likely think the same about you, about us. And that's ok. At the end of the day we're all here to have a chance at living again." Odessa smiled and looked up at the waitress with those closed eyes.

"I'll take your crystal dumplings and your mooncakes. Bring me two orders of both if you please." Odessa asked and closed her menu as the other girls ordered right after, fried fish and pork for Ri'zu, shrimp fried rice for Astrea, pretty much anything oily and fried for Helena, and a hot and sour soup with only tofu for Isha.

"Let us discuss more in private. I'm sure we'll have a lot of time to get to know one another at the new safehouse." Odessa spoke as she handed her menu off to the waitress and sipped her tea once again.​
 
"What the fuck? A blind sniper?" | "I hope when I die, I see you again, Elysia..." New
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"For starters, I'd like to repeat that it's a pleasure to meet you all in person,"
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A face to the faceless. The girls in front of them were the answers to the question: Who was speaking from the other end?
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ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ʙᴇɴᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴀꜱᴋ | ʟʏɴ (ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴᴀ 5 ᴏꜱᴛ)
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Upon being given tea, to the remaining members who sat at the table, Forgery and Null appeared to join Odessa in the partaking of the green solution, finding it a better choice to pair with their food than the bottles that Tide and Sulfur managed to secure elsewhere. For the other two, there was nothing better than celebrating the success of a mission accomplished with a bit of tasteful alcohol to calm the nerves. It was a fitting enough distraction to take their minds off of what could've gone better. Listening to Odessa's introduction of her team, the four watched as she started with herself first as the team leader. [Odessa. Team leader.] The hacker was quick to note her name and position, snapping a picture with his eyes for future notice. She seemed to be the most in-control of the bunch, addressing her new partners with the grace of a leader. Watching the other girl's reactions, it was clear that she was someone they were all capable of respecting. At the minimum, she was true to her word. She would make for a great ally in the missions to come.

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The next to introduce herself was the team's premier cat girl. Given Odessa's response to her, the other men who were present in mind during the introduction were able to figure out her name and personality. [Ri'zu, tracker and driver.] Right as Forgery created a log with her face and basic information, he overheard Tide speak. "Not to be rude or anything, but you sure you could see above the steering wheel with that height? Ach-" Before being able to finish his sentence however, he felt a sudden pressure in his side: Null's elbow. Despite him being the most quiet out of the bunch, he was surprisingly very socially aware, able to keep his team in check to avoid starting unnecessary drama with the wrong people. Left foaming from the mouth, the hemomancer himself fell face first onto the surface of the table after being made subject to Null's correction. "Sorry about that. Tide tends to get rude when he's anxious."

Astrea was the next to follow, the fins on the side of her head already telling of her species without a need to share it. [Astrea, computer expert and brawler.] Upon speaking, her voice had grabbed the attention of the other guys, making it hard for them to shift their focus away to even the valuable drinks they held in front of them. The only one that appeared to resist her affect was Tide himself, more focused on the pain than anything else. Only until Helena spoke, sending shivers through the bones of Forgery and Sulfur, were they able to take their eyes off of her. Astrea's power was extremely effective against the men, quickly causing their team leader to make note of ordering protective equipment to avoid being distracted by her side. [Helena. Vision.] She didn't speak as much as the others did, bringing a bit of question as to what role she served elsewhere. Though it wasn't the time to investigate now, not when the team was hungry while introducing themselves.

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Isha was the last to speak out of their entire team, though interestingly, a faint scent of another had caught Null's attention. Not everyone was there it seemed, a human had yet to join them all. [Forgery. They're missing one. A human.] Quick to notify his team leader, Null sent a message from his helmet over to Forgery's eyes where the text displayed on a window. If he was using the private messaging system, then it was most likely important. [Thank you, Null. I'll be sure to bring that up later, but for now. Let's focus on the people in front of us.] His eyes only flashed for a moment as he sent the message in return, finally coming back to note taking.

[Isha. Sniper and spot-] Hearing those words come out of her mouth had made her the center of attention. "What the fuck? A blind sniper?" Null joined in on Sulfur's voiced concern. "That sounds... Problematic." Forgery's eyes were message enough to tell Odessa that he held the same opinion as the other members of his team. Only after her explanation did a collective sigh of relief join the three who were able to sit up while Tide gathered his bearings. Wiping his saliva away with a napkin, he turned his eyes up weakly at the lapin sniper. "Its... Good to meet you. Ugh..." Leaning into the table again, he rested his arms above to use as pillows while the pain slowly inched away from his gut.

Turning his attention back to Odessa, Forgery sent his notes back to the computer in his van wirelessly, making sure that their faces and their names would be remembered. "Hmm? Aether?" Waving his hands in a gesture to say that it was normal, he made an attempt to ease her curiosity for the moment to avoid having her join him outside. "He gets like that sometimes, especially around meeting a lot of new people at once. Just give him time to get to know you, meet him one at a time. He'll turn around."

After ordering his food, an interesting use of the word to describe Adriana arose from an unexpected place: Broad. It immediately made him question Odessa's relationship with their redheaded boss, though her words that came after had brought more question than answer. It was clear they were being left out in the dark, but the reason for it might have been with their best interest in mind. She was a vampire surrounded by many mysterious forces, her own power being mysterious on its own. While many rumors of what she was capable of came up in conversation, from changing the future to being able to read people's souls like a book, instead of interrogating her any deeper, he decided against it. She was right, now wasn't the time to investigate the truth. They just finished a job and they deserved at least a little time away from all the chaos they endured.

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More questions than answers.
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What she had planned for both teams had still remained a mystery.

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A dinner followed their brief introduction. Between the hemomancer and the chemical expert sharing drinks to Null enjoying the meatiest portions of the Jade Garden's menu, Forgery was able to enjoy his little moment of peace, refusing to give any more thought to the reason as to why Adriana had placed their two teams together. He was an overthinker, someone who made plan after plan in the case that the unexpected should arise out of any of them. More often than not did they rely not on their primary or secondary plans, but on their tertiary contingencies whenever they went on missions together. Though, in spite of what could go wrong, he never accepted Adriana's offers to swap teams should this one feel too difficult to work around. Out of every sinner squad he was placed on before, it was this one that felt the most like home. He'd rather die with them than be forced to coexist with failures.

"Wow, I'm stuffed." Sulfur gave a content smile after eating his meal. He wasn't much of a heavy eater, though he wasn't picky as well. Given the array of items on the table ordered by their new companions, he was brought new flavors, each of various spices and seasonings that granted him a taste of China that he never tasted before. "It was alright." Null placed his empty plate atop a stack of several others, eating more than the rest of the team combined. His body required a lot of fuel to function. Regardless of his rather mediocre reaction, Tide gave him a curious glance. "You liked it that much?" If he genuinely thought it was nothing worthy of mention, he would have remained silent, yet here he was finishing his plate several times over. "I liked the bar the most, but to each their own, eh?" Unlike the other guys in his team, Tide preferred to eat his meals raw. Blood was no issue to the hemomancer who used it as the core component of his spells. "Ready to go, Forge? Introduce em to our place?"

Lifting his eyes from his plate, the team leader scratched the back of his head as he tried to figure how their move-in was going to work and what changes needed to be made. There was only one set of showers in their barracks to go around, and while there were several bedrooms with locks on their doors to give each member their own privacy, most of their living arrangement would be shared. "... Yeah, just about. Give me and the others a little bit more time to discuss and finish our food, yeah?"

Given their exotic nature too, it was likely that special arrangements needed to be met in order to house them appropriately. "Anything special that we have to know about your girls, Odessa? Things like... Smuggling homemade explosives? Experiments? Summoning spells going wrong? Biological needs?" Sneaking in the outlandish issues he experienced while living with his team throughout the conversation, he hoped to be made aware of all that could go wrong without looking like they were only a source of chaos. "Just hypotheticals of course, but uh... If there's anything of the sort, any pets or plus ones included, it would be good to let me know now."

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Elevated alleviation.

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Divine highs to make up the everyday lows.

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ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ꜱᴇʟꜰ ᴄᴀʀᴇ (ᴘᴀʀᴛ 2) | ᴍᴀᴄ ᴍɪʟʟᴇʀ
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Well, didn't know what I was missin', now I see a lil' different
I was, thinkin' too much, got stuck in oblivion, yeah, yeah

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Standing outside with his staff in hand and a smoke in another, the angelic sage twirled a lit cig, watching the stream of light move in both past and future. His boon was a curse which afflicted him with an uncanny feeling at nearly all times, multiplied by the number of people he surrounded himself with. Though, thanks to a favor granted by a joint effort between Sulfur and his boss, he was able to find something that served as a relaxing medium: A drug known as Heaven-fog. Through its inhalation, he was able to inhibit the effects of his power, going from being able to see several minutes in advance of the fates of those that surrounded him to mere seconds. While it was not the perfect solution, it offered a bit of peace and a method to cope with after seeing the gruesome deaths of himself and his closest friends for so long. The only true side effect of it was that its smell would remind him of his dead daughter.

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Taking a puff, Aether inhaled slowly before finally letting go, blowing Heaven-fog smoke into the air as he watched passing tail-lights blow past flickering stop signs. "Wonder what heaven looks like for dead angels... If there is one." He muttered to himself, turning his gaze upward at the constellations above towards the one she called her favorite. The skies of Earth had always looked shittier than the one in heaven. Light pollution, smoke, smog, and an imperfect atmosphere had made for several layers of distortion compared to the perfect, unchanging world he knew before. Yet, this was the world he was destined to belong to. Earth was the new home he was "sentenced" to as a mercy. After all, he was an exile, an angel deemed unworthy of heaven's gates. Despite him knowing the angel that took his own kin away, he lacked the evidence to back up his claim to the Heavenly courts, earning him a one way ticket down to Earth as an unageing mortal to live for the rest of his terrible eternity.

"I hope when I die, I see you again, Elysia..." Whatever came next wasn't guaranteed. After spending enough time serving his second life as one of the sinners reclaimed by the SSU, Aether's expectations of fate and karma had grown jaded. Never had he experienced such levels of vitriol from those who surrounded them for no more than just a title. Never had he seen such evil be so rewarded, yet here he was on a weekly basis, fighting against enemies that were able to make a fortune off the suffering of others, dealing with innocents caught in the crossfire over nothing more than mere coincidence. Earth had felt backwards compared to the world he left behind. Good people were punished for simply existing. Bad people were rewarded for taking advantage of others. No matter how many times he and his team could bring villainous people down despite the odds, there never seemed to be an end to the hushed comments behind their back about why Adriana took them in the first place.

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After enduring enough from experiencing the future of others, of good endings to terrible people and of bad endings to those who never deserved it, Aether was quick to become exhausted when in the company of strangers. If not for the redheaded vampire's ability to understand how he felt about his curse, it was likely that he would've been dead by now. But, convinced that there was a reason why he still roamed this Earth, whether that be out of a desire to do good or a wish to take revenge on the wounded angel who took his daughter away from him, he stuck around enough to grow fond of the people he surrounded himself with.

Their stubborn cling to life had granted the angel some solace in his bonds. Unlike the other mortals he worked with, they were an odd bunch as resilient as cockroaches, each with the conviction, confidence, and creativity to overcome overwhelming odds. Their uniqueness, combined with Heaven-fog, had made living in the world manageable, even if for just a moment. Though he knew a time of tribulation would come. Recently, there was an uptick in the terrible fates of the people he worked with as well as the rapid mobilization of both VigilCorps mercenaries and high ranking SSU security personnel. Both were signs of tougher missions to come, of future unavoidable risk that came with missions they could not refuse. "Maybe that time will be soon. I hope you're proud of me then." Aether threw his cig away, stomping its ashes out into the cement outside.

"I wonder... If this me was the hero you always envisioned for me?"

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High caliber weapon fire was his calling card.

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All this violence for a romance born in lead.
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Glowing crimson eyes had accompanied the light of his heated twin gun barrels as he walked into the darkness following another failed capture attempt. Surrounded by the scrap corpses of SSU drones meant to incapacitate him for interrogation, Seung remained an elusive target, slipping through the traps that his rival corporation had set up in order to bring him in for questioning. "More drones again? Its like they don't want me to be caught." Kicking the remains of a robot's head to the side, the vampire walked down a hallway covered in holes and lead as he made his way back to the entrance of an abandoned warehouse. It was places like these that kept him free from attention of others, forgotten areas where gunfire was seen as common among the destitute and the criminal. "All this over an ex too. Gods, my fucking luck can't be any worse."

Lifting the skull of one of the drones that he obliterated in a hail of heavy gunfire by the entrance, the vampire gunslinger eyed a flashing chip on the insides of its metal frame. It appeared to be a flash drive, one of many used to hold the code which dictated the robots' logic and commands. "Sloppy. Now... I wonder who sent you." Ripping the flash drive from its socket, he pocketed the wealth of information before closing the door behind him, returning to the streets of the Yurushi prefecture as another faceless stranger travelling under the neon sea of lights. The city acted perfectly as a fog that occluded his movements, each skyscraper and alley standing in the way of the SSU as a fog that shielded his movements from their many trained eyes. Placing on a mask that shifted his face from his own to that of another bystander, his hair shifted in color to hide his vampirism, appearing similarly to a human.

"... Only one way to find out."

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Right, we have a small teensy tiny little issue... New
The girls seemed to giggle, save for Ri'zu who was crossing her arms and pouting. "Geez, I may be short but I'm good at what I do and maybe one day you'll be thanking me for saving your ass!" She giggled and stuck her tongue out. All things considered she took the size jokes fairly well. She'd prove her worth in her actions just as she had with the other girls around her. The team of women before them didn't look like experienced agents that were tasked with saving parts of humanity that didn't look under threat at all. Even Isha as experienced as she was looked nervous and unsure of everything around them. Even still they all understood their roles, and they understood that these men may not trust them immediately. Who could really blame them?

Isha spoke up first and looked both Tide and Null up and down, "It's ok to be anxious. We've all just met... but everyone seems to be getting along. I hope we can all be friends or at least work together well as a good team!" She chirped and Ri'zu teasingly stuck out her tongue. "Whaaaa~ Cut the sappy shit! You're gonna make them boyz hurl!" Ri'zu giggled causing the bunny to pout, which in turn earned a glare from both Odessa and Helena. "Hey hey I'm just jokin', You're the best at keeping spirits up you know!" The cat woman had barely managed to save herself from the wrath of her superior and from the pissy tar demon. But she wasn't lying when she said how well the rabbit was at boosting morale and keeping spirits high. These woman had worked together for a short time, but the road always began with Isha. Even when she wasn't the team leader. She was there when everyone was brought in. Always encouraging them to do their best and to move forward. That optimism really made a difference in some of the more grittier missions they faced.

Hopefully the boys would be able to use some of that optimism to boost their spirits too. They looked like they needed it even if they spoke otherwise. Even when she could not see, Isha looked towards the patio where Aether set foot, she saw the sliver of pain in his spirit when he left, and in turn it left her more concerned than she should have been. The soul was a piece of a person left bare to all who were able to see it. You could not hide the feelings kept within, not from those who could see it laid out plain as day. She saw the spirits of her friends who were much the same. She saw their smiles and laughter on the body, but where was the joy and mirth in their souls? She didn't blame them for the lack thereof. There wasn't much to smile for these days. Sometimes she wondered what her own soul looked like.

That curiosity and focus on the angel broke when she could see a shift in spirits. The way they looked at her... no... looked down at her when she had spoke of her position. At least she felt looked down on. Isha knew she was a strange case. Her eye lids had been sewn shut with thin threads. She hadn't opened those empty black sockets in so long, and yet she felt like crying. Her ears had visibly drooped even if she kept a strong face and her chin up. Even when Odessa came to her defense and the collective sigh of relief was sounded it really made things worse. This wouldn't be the first or the last time she would be put under such judgment. She was used to it by now, and there was nothing she could do about it other than continue on and show her skills just like Ri'zu wanted. She could be strong.

She promised Kaia and Ace that she wouldn't cry anymore.

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The dinner was a bit more lively than Odessa expected, a warm and well made meal was the perfect end of a long day of hard work. Even Helena and Isha seemed to mellow out with the meals and as their bill was paid for and the last of their drinks had been drained dry the fae looked at Forgery and smiled. "Ahh~ First of all thank you for picking such a fabulous place. I'd definitely come here if we crossed paths with this establishment again, everything was perfect." She hummed in delight. When Forgery brought up living arrangements she nodded and spoke up again. "Well for the safehouse I'd say we're fine as is, as far as actual living arrangements when Adriana wants us to all stay together... I'd say the best thing is just a tank in an empty room... a fish tank I mean, or a nice deep tub. Somewhere for Astrea to sleep." Odessa clapped her hands together and Astrea nodded. "I'm good till we get back to the states though, Maybe a dip in the tub for a few hours once everyone goes to bed will be ok... also... Uhh... Odessa?" "Yes darling?" "You wanna... uhm... we should tell them about the... you know..."

Shit. Rio was still in the car. Odessa at that moment flagged a waitress and hastily ordered a few dishes to go and then waited for her to leave before looking back at Forgery. "Right, we have a small teensy tiny little issue... The one that smuggled us here is in need of some medical help... do you have any sort of medical bay at the safe house? Even a clean empty room will do. I just need a place to help this woman. She fought with us in the underground, I can't just let her perish for nothing." Odessa had become deadly serious in that moment. What she was asking wasn't really a question at all. She wasn't going to ask to use their medical bay. She was going to.

"
We don't need any more accommodations other than that. We can bring our own stuff in should we need to make immediate changes. Right now the main thing is to keep our mermaid—" "Siren." "—Siren hydrated and the human girl alive." She explained and pursed her lips together, even with closed eyes forgery knew she was staring into him. She didn't even flinch, nor did her closed eyelids make that phantom blink either. She was simply waiting for his answer. At least that explained the missing human for them, the human was currently beat up and kept under freezing food, her breaths were shallow but the magic Odessa and Astrea had used on her would thankfully hold out until they were all safe and sound.
 
You were thinking about her again, weren't you? New
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"Right, we have a small teensy tiny little issue..."
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As soon as his hopes were raised upon hearing their first meeting going perfectly, Forgery raised an eyebrow upon hearing her sudden addition, believing that a night with no added issue was a pipe dream. He expected this much given all that went wrong with the men he usually was deployed on missions with, though he hoped that these added complexities were only limited to his team versus those that worked alongside them too. Preparing for the worst, he scratched his chin, tossing out guesses as to what it could be. "Is it something involving people following you? Unwanted attention? ... Did one of you decide to take back a souvenir?" Going through the list of possibilities he already experienced when it came down to his own, he aimed to get to the bottom of this, only to find out the truth.

"The one that smuggled us here is in need of some medical help... do you have any sort of medical bay at the safe house? Even a clean empty room will do. I just need a place to help this woman. She fought with us in the underground, I can't just let her perish for nothing."

"... I'm guessing she isn't one of you all here?" Inspecting the other members of the team for injuries, he found none. "Don't you think it would've been wiser to start off with that first instead of getting down to ordering?" The seriousness in her voice had made him believe this was far from a joke, though the timing of it had felt rather odd given the scale of the potential injury that could have necessitated that level of seriousness. Realizing that asking any more questions about the what ifs wouldn't take them anywhere, he sighed. "Nevermind. We'll have someone be able to take care of her as long as her wounds aren't too grave. Aether is our medic, but I could create implants should she have lost a limb or another part of her body."

"We don't need any more accommodations other than that. We can bring our own stuff in should we need to make immediate changes. Right now the main thing is to keep our mermaid—" "Siren." "—Siren hydrated and the human girl alive."

"You see, Forge? I told you to take it easy. Bad shit's gonna come regardless of whether we stress out about them or not. Its better to just prep for them and chill, than to always be so amped about it." Sulfur didn't appear to take his mission work as seriously as Forgery did. While he was a vital part of the team working with chemicals and explosives, given his proximity to death and disaster, he always assumed that his death was to come, that it wasn't to be avoided but rather embraced. If he managed to succeed in his mission, it meant he had more time to indulge into his hobbies and if he made a life ending mistake, he wouldn't be around to worry about it either.

"You're gonna give yourself white hair before you even turn thirty at this rate. Hell, maybe even before you turn twenty-five!" He chuckled, before turning his attention back to Helena. "So about rooming together. In the case you need someone to spot a room with, I think you're perfect for me. Everyone else wouldn't do so hot around all the stuff I work around, but I think, given your ghostly form, you won't have to worry about it!" While the others were thinking about the rooming arrangements, Sulfur grew partial to the ghost, already having experience living with the three that possessed his mask. What more was a fourth when he lived with three already. "And hey! At least, if you're around me, you don't have to worry about a lot of noise! People don't tend to stick around my room if they know what's good for them."

Rolling his eyes, as the food approached them, instead of choosing to break the entrees down into portions, he grabbed the waiter's attention. "Hey, can we get this in a to-go box? Something just came up." Standing up from his seat, he looked over to the other guys who appeared disappointed given that they had their dinner interrupted. "If someone needs us, we can't just sit around and wait. Come on. We'll take this food on the go and help out. It wouldn't be a good look for us if a corpse ended up in the parking lot."

Gesturing at his team to follow him, Tide and Sulfur gave an audible groan while Null stood up on his own, already ready to move. "I'm assuming that your human friend is in your car, yes?" Upon hearing her response, Forgery gave her a nod before walking towards the door. "We'll go ahead and meet you there. I'll send the coordinates over to Ri'zu so you can catch up once you're done."

"We'll discuss what our home is going to look like then. See you there."

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"You were thinking about her again, weren't you?"
ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: 'ɴɪɢʜᴛᴛɪᴍᴇ' | ᴜɴᴜꜱᴜᴀʟ ᴅᴇᴍᴏɴᴛ

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Instead of being stored in the trunk, while they were driving back on the road again, Rio was left to rest on the back bed of the van. She was held still, given something from Sulfur to help keep her at ease and her pain at a minimum: A drug that was used to induce a medical coma in monsters thrice her size. Aether sat at the driver's side while Forgery sat on the passenger's. "She would have liked to eat at a place like that." Usually quiet, tonight was different for the angel. His mouth had felt a bit more at ease when it came to speaking his mind. It was nights like these where not much had gone wrong where his mind would wander a bit more than usual, exploring the thoughts that typically remained dormant in his heart. "Isha reminds me of her."

"Isha? The blind rabbit?" Curious, Forgery prodded the angel's mind. "What about her had you thinking of her like that?" With his eyes to the road, he scratched his chin. There wasn't something he could explicitly put his finger on, but her gentle demeanor and bashfulness was something that they both shared in common. "... I don't know. She just feels like her." Focusing on the streets ahead, he grew quiet while others became rowdy in the back.

"... So what do you think happened to her?" Sounds of a switch echoed off the walls of their van while Tide made passing peeks at the wounded girl while they were driving. "Most likely fought someone that used blades. I doubt these wounds are accidental." Blunt and to the point, Null gave his honest thought as he scanned her wounds for clues as to what have occurred on the other team's side. Given the extent of the damage, it was clear that the girls had also faced resistance, though unlike the sinners seeking redemption through their work, it appeared that they had taken the brunt of the casino's attention, facing much more dangerous guards despite having an advantage. "Oof. You think she'd mind if I take some of her spare blood?"

Upon hearing the bat hemomancer speak, Forgery and Aether were both quick to respond. "No!" "No." Sulfur took a swig of his drink while he listened to their exchange, amused that they knew Tide well enough already that he would take more than what was considered spare. "By the kami, relax. I was only thinking about taking a little. You're acting like I'm gonna drain her dry!"

Facepalming, Forgery turned all the way to make eye contact with Tide. "YEAH! THE LAST TIME YOU WANTED A LITTLE BIT OF BLOOD, THE VICTIM NEEDED A BLOOD TRANSFUSION!" Pouting, Tide turned his face away. "... Well, he survived didn't he? It's not like he needed all that blood anyways. With all that muscle, he could learn to spare a few pounds. I was doing him a favor." Squinting, Forgery glared at him. "And she's lacking blood. Taking anymore will KILL her. So relax, Tide! No more asking! I'll request Adriana for more later! So are you happy now?" Nodding his head, the hemomancer smiled, returning his attention back to his switch. "Absolutely! I was running out anyways."

"I swear, its like you're asking to catch a murder case; On our new friends no less."

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"Scalpel please."
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Once they returned home, Tide and Aether were quick to operate on their new ally. She was in bad shape upon coming into the medical bay. With her limbs detached and her extremities carved in ways that would otherwise be near impossible to mend, the two required each other to make her body heal. Given Aether's gift of foresight combined with Tide's ability to sculpt blood, they held enough talent to attach some of Forgery's spare limbs to her body. "Don't worry, I could take care of her bottom half from here. Just hand me the screwdriver! I'll fix her leg! You take care of cutting off some of the dead flesh from her arms."

Piece by piece, they rebuilt her, starting with her leg before finishing with her arms. Given time to operate, they sowed her arteries and nerve endings into the mechanical wirings of her new attachments, carefully ensuring that she would be able to hold full control and feeling in the new limbs regardless of their artificial origin. "Now what about her face?" Meanwhile, as Tide got to operating on her, he forgot about one of the biggest components to "fixing" her. "Uh... Just get whatever you can from Forgery's spare part drawer. I'll flesh-sculpt the rest to make her look better." By the time the girls had finally made it to their barracks, the operation was done. Tide and Aether relaxed in the living room while Forgery inspected her body.

"Hey, relax. You're gonna feel a little woozy and that's normal. Take it easy, yeah?" While Rio woke up post surgery, Forgery gave her a glass of water to drink. He knew what it was like to wake up after an accident, though given the scale of her reconstruction, it was more than what he ever endured himself. His body came in pieces but hers came as a whole set. "Care to tell me your name? Mine is Forgery. I was the leader of the team that helped yours at the casino. The same who spoke on the radio. Remember?" Knowing that this is their first time meeting, he was careful not to inspire anxiety in her, being slow with his introduction. "You're in a safe place now and the others will be here soon. So take it easy." Turning around, he swirled a smooth drink he grabbed on the way back home: A smoothie that would help her wake up. "Oh, and I love the ink. They look great on you."

Outside, Tide immediately noticed Ri'zu coming in with the other girls. "Oh shit! Hide the snacks!" Rushing towards his snack drawer, Tide was quick to padlock it before Ri'zu had a chance to investigate the scent of Tide's guilty pleasure: Fish chips. Meanwhile, as Odessa arrived last, Null waved her over. "We took care of your friend. Aether said she would make a full recovery given some time. As for your mermaid friend. Sulfur and I have made arrangements for her company. A pool has been set up for now, but we made space in our storage room for added accommodations in the future." Sulfur on the other hand had laid on the ground covered in sweat. Their storage room held a slew of heavy materials and objects, each feeling like paper weights to the massive man himself.

As they got closer to the center of the living room, Aether walked away from them towards his room, preferring distance instead of the company of several strangers at the same time. Noticing the downtrodden look on some of the girls' faces, Sulfur was quick to comfort. "Eh, don't mind him. He's just not one for big groups. Don't take it to heart, yeah?" Changing the topic of the conversation, he gave a curious glance over at the luggage the girls' held in hand. "Oh yeah! Rooming assignments! We don't have enough space for everyone to have their own room, but I'm sure we'll find an arrangement that works with everyone."
 
"Well... for what it's worth... Thank you guys." New
There was no good way to describe all that had happened during the infiltration. Alas even backup plans required back ups, and back ups for said back ups. If there was anything Odessa was talented at it was turning plans on a dime and adapting to sudden shifts. Ri'zu could never comprehend how her team leader was able to weave new directions in plans that got wrenched. She was seamless most of the time. Even if it involved someone getting injured. At least no one died on her watch so far. She'd packed a lot of magic into Rio when she got sliced up. Preserving her parts in white ice and a strange glassy material that kept her insides from going outside. It wasn't a perfect plan, but it kept the poor human alive until they got her chromed up.

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"With the way I have her in the car, she could survive for days need be it. Besides, my powers are weaker when I don't have energy to sustain off of. Foodstuffs are what work best to keep my magic flowing." It was the best answer she could give. She could not freely leave and return to the veil that separated their worlds and with how unnatural the world around them was right now... the smog, the light pollution... all of it played a part in how much magic she could regain at any given moment. Of course explaining all of this would make her just sound like a hippie so the simpler the better. Food good. No food, no good.

Sure under normal circumstances they'd rush the poor thing out and get her to the nearest hospital quick... but there were never any normal circumstances when it came to her people nor were the situations they found themselves in. Despite how rough things might have been and the missions building up, she knew there were things more incomprehensible than what this was. She heard the stories, hell she had seen the calamities that befell the world long ago, she'd been there protecting her people beyond the veil between her world and this one. She wondered if the others had seen such things too. Or if she was simply too old for anyone in this team to relate to her. Perhaps she'd talk to Aether or Null later... she figured they were the oldest by how things looked. The corner of her lip quirked up into a half smile as she stared off into no particular direction. She could hear Helena groaning at the mere thought of rooming with a stranger. Odessa would likely stay with Rio tonight. She owed it to her. No see through her operations. To ensure she wouldn't wake up alone... To ensure Rio would be alive to see her family that she risked everything for. Adriana was already making preparations to move Rio's family to a safer place she was sure.

"You got it bawss! We'll be there soon!


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Rio was certainly in a shape. In fact she was currently in multiple shapes. More specifically she was an unassembled human puzzle. Half her face had been sliced off, you could see the skull below. Both arms were missing at different points. One was severed from the shoulder, another only to the elbow at a diagonal angle. It couldn't be saved and would have to be cut away. Organs were plenty pierced and her legs were too messed up to ever be considered normal again. Odessa had already given the go ahead to give her cybernetics. The open wounds had frozen over and a strange glass like material was packed into her wounds, the magic emanating from them was what kept her alive. Luckily the remaining blood had drained into a reservoir to store it. The magic keeping the blood usable, alive even.

Once both groups had made it to the safehouse Odessa got to work, leaving the unpacking to the other girls as she walked towards the scent of blood and sterile cleaners. When it came to taking the pieces away to fix the poor woman, Odessa had finally appeared, her hair was tied up in a bun and she was dressed in a pristine coat and washed up before sliding on gloves. "Sorry I couldn't be here sooner. Let me help with the eve fragments." She spoke and approached the group. While all the women in the team were trained with basic field medicine, Odessa was a proper doctor. She had learned about so much in that lengthy lifespan of hers, her magic could breathe life into anything. At least if it were human.

As the men got ready to work on the damaged human Odessa's arms began to glow with markings that looked like elegantly threaded vines. She was pulling away shards from Rio's sealed wounds. The blood hadn't begun to flow just yet, These "eve Fragments" were the strange mix of glass and ice that kept the woman stable.
"If these don't suit her well I have more we could test on her." Odessa spoke as she assisted with dead tissue and using her abilities to keep her stable.

When it was all said and done Rio had slowly woken up from the strong anesthesia. It was a wonder she had woken up so early. Most would have been out until the next morning. "W...What the fuck...? Where the FUCK am I?!" She suddenly shrieked and sat up. The woman had knocked the air out of her own lungs. She'd swung her limbs wildly in a sudden burst of strength, knocking over the glass of water. Odessa held down the barely coherent woman and tried to calm her. "Hey now hey now... Rio, Rio, Rio, it's me." Odessa spoke softly. "M-My name... I'm Rio. Rio Yoshida. I was hired to help Odessa...I... I remember fighting." She sighed and tried to wrack her brain. When Forgery made the comment about her tattoos it made her flex her arms, moving them, but it felt wrong. Her arms felt cold and heavy, then came the realization. "Wait.. I remember losing my fuckin' arms... what happened??" She seemed to remember some things at least. "You indeed lost many parts of yourself... my team and I saw to it that you survived." "But why??" "Because I wasn't about to let you die for a cause you weren't fighting for to begin with." Odessa went straight to the point. Rio wasn't a combatant like them, hell she wasn't even SSU. Just a smuggler trying to keep her family safe.

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"So what now? What's going to happen?? My friends, my family... I..." Rio was replaying the scenes in her head. She took a shaky breath and Odessa patted her back. "We've received word from our operative that they're safe. Moved to Osaka like you had requested. As for what now... well... you could go back to your life, but if you want to keep fighting, there's always a place." Odessa replied and Rio slowly laid back down. "Well... for what it's worth... Thank you guys." She sighed and raised her hands, moving and flexing the fingers. Cybernetics were so strange...

When the girls came to visit Ri'zu was the first one in with the packed up Chinese food. "Nya~! We brought you something to eat, Rio!" The giggling cat approached, her tail flicking back and forth. Rio herself seemed a bit unnerved. This was one of the same agents she watched rip men limb from limb with nothing more than the claws on her hands. She'd never seen such clean cuts before, not like that. "Uhh... Thanks uhm..." "Awww forgot my name already?" Ri'zu pouted but there was nothing behind it. Astrea rolled her eyes and sntached the food and brought it to Rio. "Here... I'll feed you. I know you're getting used to the new tech." She mumbled and picked up the chopsticks. Spirits seemed to raise when the others walked in. Everyone talking about living arrangements and overall getting along. Astrea seemed pleased with the pool they brought in, Tide was locking away the snacks as Ri'zu eyed him hungrily, Isha just seemed happy to be there... perhaps sticking with these guys wouldn't be so bad after all.​
 
Anyone who chooses to judge you is someone who's opinion never mattered in the first place. New
"Sorry I couldn't be here sooner. Let me help with the eve fragments."

"Don't worry about it. Her condition is stable for the most part thanks to these things you put on her."​

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ɴᴏᴡ ᴘʟᴀʏɪɴɢ: ᴀʀᴏᴜɴᴅ | ʜᴏᴛʟɪɴᴇ ᴍɪᴀᴍɪ 2 ᴏꜱᴛ
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Once the doctor had reunited with the boys of the group, it appeared that some work had already begun. Her wounds were cleaned and sterilized and her new limbs were partway through the reattachment process. Certain exposed nerve endings were made open to the air, but with the help of the chemicals that ran through her system, she was held still, unable to wake up from her slumber. The chemical specialist on their team was an expert at determining the concentration and dosage required to put down a person of any weight, appearance, and stature, ensuring that the process would go along smoothly.

"If these don't suit her well I have more we could test on her."

The others nodded their heads, making sure that the doctor had room to work while they continued on the opposite side. Given her position on their team, they didn't have room for error. This surgery was more than just for the sake of survival, it was to restore what was lost and upgrade her dead flesh from mortal to machine. Eventually, after a long night spent operating on the woman to ensure that function had returned to her extremities, she awoke to see the doctor and the leader of the new team they were to work with standing side by side.

"W...What the fuck...? Where the FUCK am I?!."

"Hey, relax. You're gonna feel a little woozy and that's normal. Take it easy, yeah?" Handing her a glass of water, the hacker was careful not to give too much for her body to handle so soon. Putting too much strain on her muscles while they needed time to recover would only draw adverse effects on the patient's body. "Care to tell me your name? Mine is Forgery. I was the leader of the team that helped yours at the casino. The same who spoke on the radio. Remember?" Instead of taking it for a drink, the woman swiped it out of his hands, spilling the clear liquid across the console and the nearby medical equipment in proximity.

"Hey now hey now... Rio, Rio, Rio, it's me."

"M-My name... I'm Rio. Rio Yoshida. I was hired to help Odessa...I... I remember fighting." Rio. making a mental note of it as Odessa calmed the stressed stranger, Forgery made a mental profile of the woman in front of him, entering her name, appearance, and dimensions into his mental database for him to get a better read on her profile later. "You're in a safe place now and the others will be here soon. So take it easy." Grabbing his smoothie, he swirled its contents with a straw before leaning back and taking a drink of it.

"Wait.. I remember losing my fuckin' arms... what happened??"
"You indeed lost many parts of yourself... my team and I saw to it that you survived."

"But why??"

"Because I wasn't about to let you die for a cause you weren't fighting for to begin with."

The odd movements of her arms had hinted at a lack of familiarity with her new limbs. He recalled his body going through the same once he received his first prosthetic. Akin to riding a bicycle, only this time, the bicycle was attached to the body; The cybernetic sinner gave her a reaffirming smile as he drew on his own arm, revealing artificial parts of his own. "You'll get used to those eventually. It'll take time and practice, but trust me. Having these will be an upgrade to what you're used to." As if he wished to show off the capabilities of his arm, small tendrils had broken through his metal carapace, each grabbing wrapping around the cup with greater stability, keeping it flat as he rotated his arm. "Maybe you might even find a preference for it eventually."

"So what now? What's going to happen?? My friends, my family... I..."

"We've received word from our operative that they're safe. Moved to Osaka like you had requested. As for what now... well... you could go back to your life, but if you want to keep fighting, there's always a place."
"Well... for what it's worth... Thank you guys."

Sighing in relief upon seeing her finally being able to relax in her changed body, Forgery grabbed the cup from the ground before filling another glass with water. "Don't mention it. You're one of us now. The least you deserve is us treating you right." As he spoke, he heard the door crack open, revealing a cat girl on the other side of the door with spare Chinese food in hand. Despite his mind not being able to immediately recognize her, the cybernetic eye implant on his body had displayed her name right beside her head: Ri'zu. Even if it wasn't her true name, it was the name that she and the other women in her crew referred to herself as.

"Uhh... Thanks uhm..."

"Awww forgot my name already?"
"Here... I'll feed you. I know you're getting used to the new tech."

While Astrea stood beside Rio to feed her, now that he felt that their patient was acquainted with her environment, the hacker went outside to take stock of their newest team mates. In front of him sat the other girls, still dressed in the dresses they wore on their first meeting. Beside them were the carry-ons that held their primary essentials. With everyone present and accounted for, he pulled out a clipboard with a page he just printed, each holding the specific arrangements with the cohesion of each team member in mind. "Everyone here and ready to listen?" Given the differences in personalities and species, he knew that regardless, he would receive flak for his bedroom arrangements. However, it was the best he could do with the knowledge he had on file.

"First of all, Astrea. You will be taking room 1-A. Sulfur and Helena? 1-B." Given her need for an aquatic setting to rest, Astrea's room was an aquarium with waterproof furniture left inside to ensure that her living arrangements well suited her. "Aww, really? You're going to put me with someone?" Sulfur shrugged, giving a yawn due to the exhausting, earlier events of the day. "Looks like we're going to be rooming together." Leaving the others, as he entered his room, he got to work on explosive tools meant to be used for the next mission. After their last mission, he had to use most of his stock to leave a sizable dent in the power grid. It was his proximity to dangerous chemicals that made it difficult for Forgery to assign anyone else. Other than Helena, it was likely that being around him for too long would end up with medical complications.

"Tide, Ri'zu. You both would be sharing room 2-A. Rio, you're with me in 2-B." Tide turned towards the cat girl, giving her an odd look. "Really? You couldn't have put me with damn near anyone else?" Despite his initial comments, to the CPU assisting Forgery with his logic, the two seemed among the most compatible with each other. Their interests on file had aligned well and their personalities, regardless of how far apart it might seem on the surface, complimented each other well. "Rio, as the only other person here with cybernetics, it feels right to help you grow accustomed to your own body. I'll show you how to deal with maintenance and the methods that worked with me and getting adjusted to this new body."

Turning towards the next pair of rooms, he continued reading out the rest of the names. "Aether, you're going to be rooming with Isha in 3-A. Null? You're going to be with Odessa in 3-B." The angel didn't speak a word upon having his orders be delivered. Unlike the rest of the other girls, he didn't seem to mind her presence. Her future was a lot more tame than most, bringing the sage a semblance of calm despite his lack of familiarity with the lapin woman.

Null on the other hand nodded his head before turning to Odessa. "It's my pleasure to meet you. I hope we could end up good roommates." Respectful to those he fought alongside, now that they were a team, he didn't feel as much of a need to hide his own words from them. Still silent for the most part, given his knowledge of her accomplishments, he seemed a bit more open to speaking with her. "Perhaps you could show me how a fairy fights. I hear that your kind are tough as they are strong and swift."

With their arrangements finally in order, as the men helped their roommates with the moving of their gear into their other rooms, Forgery was among the first to strike conversation with his roommate. It had been years since he last had to share a bedroom with somebody else, let alone someone of the opposite sex. "Hey, so about your family." It felt odd speaking the word. Other than the people who made up his team, the world beyond lacked anyone he cared enough to deserve that title. Still, he felt that the organization that offered him a pardon was good on their word. Their history with working with other criminals like himself had afforded him a kinder opinion of the redhead that led their organization. "About what Odessa said. She's not lying. The people here do care, hells, maybe even a lot more than most others."

Sitting on the bed opposite of her, as he took off his shirt due to the rising heat from the bunker as the world around them grew hotter due to the shifting season, Rio's eyes were met with the extent of how much his body was replaced. His arms and his eye were changed. Surgical scars around his chest had hinted at more implants being embedded within his body. Noticing her eyes, the hacker looked away for a moment. "...Are you... Ashamed of me?" He was far from normal and even further from natural.

"Be honest. There's no wrong answer. But without these things on my body, I doubt I would even be alive, let alone someone as capable as what I am now." Turning on the fan with his cybernetic components connecting wirelessly to the electronic devices nearby, the hacker leaned back in his bed, looking up at the ceiling. "I won't judge you for your looks by the way. Really. Cybernetics are only just an extension of one's soul. At the end of the day, you are what decides what your body does. Not the other way around." Closing his eyes as he readied himself to rest, instead of preparing to enter a deep slumber, he opted for a low power state, connecting a certain plug from beside his bed towards his body to help his mechanical parts recharge after a long day of use.

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