He nodded along with the other Assault's intro, but he was finally able to assign a few more events to her face. She'd been on the range a lot with him, and she shot very well, well enough that while he was able to win often enough, it was never an easy job to do it. Beyond that, however, she didn't really NEED to be accurate, since any gun she shot never seemed to STOP shooting until she wanted it to. Her bloodline, most likely, since she just mentioned that Mikhail Kalashnikov had been her great-grandfather. He grinned at that and, as the rest of the team began gathering behind him in the center, he replied "Heh, I've got a WWII bloodline too, but he was American like me. Audie Murphy the third, as I've been called a couple times, at your service."

With that, he formed up in the center with the others and watched their dossiers flow across the screen. Unlike the others, he didn't particularly mind that his file was being displayed for them all. It was general background and some basic information, not much more, it wasn't like they were displaying what color underwear he wore and when he'd had his first beer. It wasn't anything his CO wouldn't know if he'd joined the Marines as he'd originally planned. However, as he listened to the various introductions, he nodded with a grin. They were all competent to be sure, names he'd heard floating around the academy, highly accomplished Logis and Dagulas. However, the TL and Sloan had him particularly worried, a kleptomaniac and a guy with a compelling voice were a very dangerous combo.

However, it was his turn for introductions anyway, so he gave a relaxed smile as he opened "I'm Jacob Murphy, an Assault spec as I'm sure you know. I shoot best with my handgun, but I prefer to use my Assault Rifles." He unbuttoned his jacket and allowed it to hang on the chair as he casually continued "My bloodline is Audie Murphy, not that I expect any of you to know who that is. The short of it is, back in WWII, he was one heck of a war hero and one heck of a shot. Meanin, if I wanted to-" He stopped here to gesture at the TL "I could shoot the hair off your head with this 92FS, and that's not an idle boast, though I imagine a demonstration would draw a bit too much attention."

He then, however, allowed his gaze to slide over their team leader and Sloan, continuing "Now, I'll be the last one to judge based on reputation, because I had a bit-a one back in Academy too. But if'n anyone get's funny, well, I was raised to solve my problems with a gun. So, don't make yourself just as bad as the guys we're here to round up and we'll be fine." He then smiled and waved casually, saying "But until then, let's be friends huh? I'm always happy to get some pals in the unit, so I hope none of us get into some kinda conflict, y'know? Now, I'm sure I speak for all the Assaults at this table when I say this, but I definitely speak for myself: I can sneak into a place with a silenced pistol, sure, I can do stealth, but I don't like it. I also can't do any of this sneaky-beaky stuff of lurkin around really casually to try and gather intel or anything else. So, don't ask me to discretely tail a target, or go talk some guy outta his documents. Send me in when you need an application of military force, I'm great at it, but not much else."

Having said his piece, and quickly showing his penchant for getting into long discussions, he took a moment to say something to the Logi in particular. They were the support troops, so a lot of people tended to write them off pretty quickly because they weren't cool spooks or awesome assaults. However, their job was just as, if not more, important as the others, so he wanted to make sure she knew he appreciated that "A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Zech. I'm glad we'll have a good Logi keeping us on our feet out in the field. EOD ain't exactly my specialty either, so havin someone who knows their way around a bomb'll be real helpful."

As the others spoke it dawned on Suzumi that "icebreaking" was not literally meant. It was an English figure of speech. These things were going to take some getting used to. She wondered idly if any of them spoke Japanese.

Mister Talks, Master Exploder, Gypsy Boss and Bullet Whisperer all introduced themselves. Some of them stood up. Suzumi did not feel like standing up at the moment. She would speak though.

"I am Suzumi Kalashnikov. I am of Assault specialization", she began. "It should be of your notice that I am of Russia. English is not my first language. Please forgive any errors of my speaking.

Although I am of what you call a Bloodline, I am a simple soldier. I will be of trusting you to handle details just as you will be of trusting me to handle the shootings."

Suzumi looked around at the other Butei for a moment. She didn't exactly know what else to say. Social interaction wasn't her strong suit, having grown up almost entirely alone. Even in the Academy she was often too swamped with classes to actually talk with other students. She feared this was more testing of her than the actual firefight would be.

Nellie was aware that a young lady who looked around her age had taken a seat next to her. Her lips pulled up into a smile as her attention was caught by the raven-haired girl’s scribbling. Honestly, Nellie wasn’t sure if this girl was part of Division Six, but she took care to remind herself to not judge a book by its cover. After silently staring at the doodles for a few minutes, she looked out of the window again to watch the bird. Alas, it had flown away for the night.

The civilians began to slowly exit the store, leaving the Butei (and Nellie was glad that the girl near her hadn’t left, it would be interesting to get to know her!) and the barista alone. The shop was promptly closed up and Nellie was eyeing the barista and – Oh – barista lady was now Robin Black, Lezzad and team leader.

A curious holographic device turned on, displaying the team’s dossiers. She was perfectly alright with her file being shown around. While statistics wasn’t the best way to learn about a person, it would give Nellie a bit of insight on how her team-mates operated. After all, she would be in the back-lines providing long ranged support. It was her job to be the backup in case things went awry.

The one that caught her eye was the Dagula who had a peculiar but useful bloodline. As if Sloan expected people to be wary of him, he began to introduce himself, assuring the others that he complied with the ‘rules’. Nellie was just glad that the Dagula was on her side - hopefully. Next was Arryn Zech, a Logi who specialized in electronics then the team leader who was obviously a Lezzad, Jacob Murphy, and finally Suzumi Kalashinov, both assaults with fascinating bloodlines as well. Nellie briefly wondered if Suzumi could also speak Japanese, she had always wanted to learn.

After Suzumi stopped talking, Nellie took the chance to speak up. ”It’s nice to meet you all,” she softly greeted, a light smile on her face. “I’m Nellie Jung, an Assault specialized in long-ranged combat. In other words, I’m a sniper.” Her gaze slid towards Jacob before glancing at all of them while continuing. ”Like Jacob, I’ll be able to pull of some incredible shots at a farther distance. Environmental factors, bodily needs, and physical and mental feelings will not affect my shooting until the missions is completed. I'll probably be moving independently during most of our missions together but I'll supply valuable combat information to you guys as well as watching your backs. I look forward to working with all of you!”

"No zank you Aces."

Victor smiled at Aimee, declining the cigarette as she lit up. The contrast between the two was almost a solid wall. It looked partially like Victor was some uptight rich boy looking for a wild fling. The German remembered the woman though. Hard not to, with the energy of a rabid squirrel, but she was a maestro with vehicles. He drained the last of his coffee, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief produced from his coat pocket as he set the book down. As he looked up, he already found the woman wandering off. A small smile as he watched her sit back down at another table, pull out the sketchbook, and begin drawing idly. Victor chose to remain in his seat though, watching the others quietly. Everyone began to filter out, leaving only the Butei agents and the Barista.
---------------
The German didn't know he would be working with Batman. As Robin removed his disguise, Victor couldn't help but tap his chin in slight amusement. The disguise hadn't been necessary, though it was certainly theatrical. That would explain a lot of what he heard about Robin through the academy. He studied the profiles that flitted by on the holographic projection. He didn't really need to, he probably could just request a lot more information from Dagula about his team mates but then, there wasn't any current reason to do so and would probably breed distrust if he went snooping behind their backs.

Not that they would ever know.

Introductions came next. Competent all around, to be sure, if a bit...bombastic. Robin seemed very dramatic and keen to use heavy explosives. Possibly to get the entire team involved. The German was more amused that they had to strike a deal with the criminals, but he wasn't team leader. Sloan seemed friendly and worried about what the others thought of him. Understandable, with a bloodline like his and the reputation the agents at Dagula had. The Assault butei all seemed suitably trigger happy. That was good, it meant during missions the enemy would focus on them more and Victor less. He waited for the sniper to finish speaking before raising a hand from his table, still not joining the large circle of people in the center. He gave a warm smile. No reason to sugar coat the truth, it's not like anyone here would shy away from killing.

"Ja, I am Victor, Arzt to most. I am Dagula, specializing in vetvork und silensing. I am also doktor, so you could consider me a field medic as vell, zere is pretty much no injury I cannot fix und I can help wiz any medical concerns. I vill not be on ze front too often, but behind ze enemy lines. If you have a target giving you hard time, simply tell me. I vill silence zem. I also, much like Mister Black, am information gatherer. It is a pleasure to meet you all und I look forward to vorking with you."

He smiled, then raised a finger as if he forgot something, folding one leg over the other.

"Oh, und I am very gut at massages, so if your muscles hurt after missions, I can help!"

As the customers began to filter out so that only the Butei were left, Deuce continued to observe the actions of his fellow Butei with a keen interest. He was a Lezzad and a Detective after all, observing people was what he was paid to do. When Stephan and his motley crew left, Deuce exchanged a few parting pleasantries as his contacts offered to keep Deuce informed in the event any thing came up. Satisfied with the rekindling of his relationship with his contacts, Deuce leaned back and finished his smoothie, this time in silence.

It wasn't long there after that the Barista revealed herhimself to be their team leader. Admittedly, Deuce found the reveal to be rather amusing. Gender bending disguises was more akin to something out of a movie than an actual practice. It was a useful skill to have for sure, even if it did appear to be a tad excessive. However no sooner had their Team Leader introduced themselves did he start scrolling down dossiers detailing every member of the team. This confirmed many of Deuce's suspicions, the man who had been watching him early was indeed a Dagula, one with hypnotism no less, Deuce made a mental note to come up with some counter strategies. Most of the others were indeed assault, and quite a few of the trigger happy variety. Too many for Deuce's comfort.

However as he continued the observations, the others went though their icebreakers, which as Deuce had learned a few years back, was the policy of introducing yourself with a few interesting facts. Deuce found it rather interesting to see the degree of comfort his fellow teammates had with such a concept. Some appeared extremely nervous, while others breezed threw it. While he may still have had his doubts about the team, Deuce did not deny that they were an interesting bunch.

"I guess it's my turn now," Deuce chuckled as he stood up, "Sorry about the noise from earlier. As you can probably infer, it's not my first time in Arkhan so I've got a few contacts, had to make sure they were still viable. Uh yeah, but about myself. The name's Deuce, I'm a Lezzad, and well I've been freelancing for a few years now. Not much to say really. First time since the academy that I've operated as a Butei so I guess that makes a few of you my seniors. Looking forward to working with you guys."

It may not have been the best introduction, but Deuce figured it would do.

~~~~~

The faces of those present, those that were supposed to trust her and her skills, began to appear upon the open page of her sketchbook. Every so often, shining light hazel brown eyes would dart from the speaker, over to the sketch, then back to the speaker.

Scritchity-scratchity. Scratchity-scritchity.

Her first priority was to calm down. Not zone out. But Zone In. Drawing was helping, focusing, releasing tension and worry. Slower, deeper breaths and a calmed heart she had now.

Back into memory she fell, recalling her initial meet with Victor Steiner. How was his reaction? Amicable as always. Turned down the smoke as always. Keeping his distance from her as always. Did she just weird him out with how she tried to introduce herself? Yes, as always but no. For he had addressed in that informal yet affectionate term she called herself. Hey, Money? she would ask. Ja, Aces, he would respond. And that was good enough for her.

Scritchity-scratchity. Scratchity-scri--

A hint of a smile touched upon small pink lips and the pencil dropped softly upon her sketchbook and the headphones were removed from around her neck. The drawing was becoming a painting in her head as names and faces, facts and imagery from the floating glowing dossiers, connected with the voices and demeanours of those present. Those that were supposed to trust her and her skills. These were the Lady's lil' birds. She was mama and they were her babies. She would take care of them while they were in her nest. Buckle up, babies cuz vroom-vroom, it's gunna gets bumpy and mama Aces gunna see ya through!

But no, she would not weird them out right now with her stupid sayings.

~~~~~

Aimee's suspicions were correct when she found out that beside her was Nellie Jung. Sniper, spotter and good ol' eagle eyes for Spies n' Eyes teams. Dressed up all pretty in camo too. Bags under eyes, but not from being tired. I remember you. I helped wire you up. Friendly and cute too. Nellie had that tremendously calm voice when she spoke from behind concealment, listing off targets, positions, weaknesses and numbers from afar. That Dead Calm voice. Oh, yeah and this here chick could rain fire upon you from a kilometre away and hit you in any vital she chose. And... wait! Didn't Nellie have some kind of bake sale too or something... yes! Those cupcakes... ? Oh hnnnngh!

The first to reveal and tell was Robin. Danny Phantom. He scared her and now knowing that he was a thief did not set her mind at ease, but she knew him from wilderness and some roof-top extractions in the Academy. Ground and air sims. One time she was waiting for him and broke procedure. She lit a cigarette. A tree branch reached out and smacked her wrist. The whole ride back the Lezzad let her know about just how stupid a move that was. The. Whole. Time. But he was Squad Leader now. She glanced around at the rest of them gathered. Prolly the best choice.

Sloan. Ughs. He was next. Yes, Aimee remembered him. What a long winded douche. Perhaps it was just his nature but Pretty Boy, as she knew him did not sell himself to her. At all. They were pretty much polar opposites after all. He wanted to break into peoples minds; get them to sell their soul to his silver tongue'd remarks. She was all about resistance and thinking outside the box. He is talkative. She is quiet. But he had a cool car. Aimee remembered that. Prolly his redeeming quality to her; he knew how to take care of his ride.

Arryn. Boom-Boom! That's what she called the chick back at Academy. Yes, they had been in many classes together, but they worked Surveillance and Communications for the most part. Aimee was always surprised at the cool things Boom-Boom came up with and it actually rubbed off on Aimee. Yes, Aimee was a good mechanic, but she learned a few tricks and quick fixes from the chick. She showed her some crazy radio and cell jamming that was sooooooo the shiz too! That and the lavender headed chick had nice legs too. Short skirts ftw! Yayuh! But Aimee's girlfriend Erin, hated Boom-Boom and not because they had the same name spelled different; it was because of the drawings Aimee sketched of her fellow Logi. Rawwwwzzzz....

Jacob. She did not know much about him but perhaps they ran into each other at the Academy. Actually she was sure of it. Mama bird taking care of her babies; headcounts and gear counts when transporting the Assaults into sims and what not. Baby-Face! Yes! That's right! He sooooooo did not look the part, but he was one that Sergeant Mizuna said 'had game.' Several meanings about having 'game.' Because Aimee did remember that in the Rec Hall, they had set up a bigscreen and played some kinda weird four person black-ops game... and Lady Aces' girl Boom-Boom was like totes pwning the shiz out of Baby-Face and Money. Who run the world?! GIRLS!!! Yayuh! Maybe Pretty Boy was playing with the fourth controller too? Maybe not. Too busy blabbering off and trying to get laid most likely. Ewww... toucher.

Suzumi. Oh wow. This chick was bad news. She was an Assault. But a reeeeeeeeally bad-ass and murderously trigger happy Assault. This chick scared the shiz out of Aimee. As with Sloan, Aimee kept her distance from this one. Yes, it was cute that she mistakenly called an ice-breaker a nuclear powered ice boat, which is actually a reeeeeeelly cool machine, but at any rate, Aimee did not smile nor laugh when Suzumi mentioned such a thing. There was no way she wanted to be seen in any way shape or form laughing at this kind of chick. She had that kind of rep back at the Academy and now here she was part of Div. Six. They were supposed to trust each other... 'see how long that lasted...

She almost lost control when Victor piped up. She wanted to hoot and holler, when he introduced himself as 'doktor.' Because he was so much more than that to her. Massages! Oh, yes, she loved to get them from him, but it was not 'like that' between them. And now Aimee had to look away from him or she really would have lost control as soon as he was done with his intro. She wanted to cheer so badly and let everyone know that Arzt was her boy! Money! Yayuh. Because... back at the Academy... he...

Vic was my only friend. Fo'sho....

Then came Nadia and Aimee perked right back up. She had no idea what the Assault just said because she was focusing on just how sooooooooooo hot Nadia was and just sat there and stared. And stared. Hot. So hot...

Aimee regained control when Deuce intro'd himself. He was really tall and that's all she knew about him. That and he was always talking and chatting people up back at the academy; how did he ever get his studies done, Aimee always wondered. Oh! And she remembered him now! He had the reeeeeally cool motorbike that he reeeeeeeally hated for anyone to touch. It always seemed to idle too low, but that was just Aimee. And noooooooo, she could not touch it. Nooooo, everyone knew that. Even the ones that decided to wrap it up in plastic cling-wrap as a joke. But Aimee knew nothing about that, noooooo, cuz she would never touch the Ninja! Ever. Ev. Ar.

~~~~~

Then it was her turn.

The feet of her chair groaned out as it slid against the tiled floor when she pushed back to allow her room to stand. Both hands then smoothed out her black skirt then both hands retreated behind her, left hand holding her right at the small of her back. Chin up and eyes forward, her posture was tense and rigid but worthy of inspection from any higher ranking officer.

Just don't weird them out. Keep it to yourself, Aims...

“Askins, Aimee-Katalina. Call-sign: Lady Ascension.” _{(Cuz I gets ya hiiiiiiiigh! Lady Aces gots her wings on tonight, sir! Yes, Sir!!!)}

“Logi. Pilot and Driving Specializations. Expertise with dozens and dozens of vehicles transport, combat and civilian grade; land, sea, and air. More than enough hours logged in both sim and live combat. Proficient in repair and teardown. I will fix your broken wings or pimp your ride. Communications expertise, in field, home base, set up, tear down, you name it, I'll patch you in.” _{(I'm your Mama Bird, you're my babies. I gets you there, I gets you out, no doubt! I'll drop all hell from the heavens for you, I will even run red lights through for you, I'm sooooooooo middle-finger lickin' good! Lock n' load! Fire it up, biyatches, keep that oven warm cuz Mama bird be bakin' you Aces! Fo'sho!!!)}

“Bloodline: Artemesia Gentileschi. Creative, artistic genius with tools of her trade mastered and always under her control and vision. Hard-wired for success in a world against her. Free-thinker in a time when women were considered non-thinking items. Unrelenting ice in a world going up in an inferno. Behind enemy lines, I will not break. Under the thumbscrews... See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. And In the sky, on the ground, neath the water I'll see you get there, I'll see you home.” _{(I am a Leaf on the Wind; I am Fire from Heaven; I am a Flower Petal to the Metal. Yayuh.)}

“I'm a reserved gal who keeps her mouth shut unless it's worth it.. But make no mistake... I'm not shy to shine. I am Lady Ascension and I will rise above the world for you when it's time.

A pleasure to meet you all and a pleasure to serve with you at Div. Six.

Thank you.”

_{(Light me up that cigarette cuz you just got served by Miss Aces! Fly girl, getcha high girl! That's right, err'body! 100% vagina in the cockpit! Sing it!! Wuuuut!!!)}

All apprehensions and feelings of being out of her league dissipated as soon as Aimee nodded her red-beret topped head to their squad leader, Phantom and to the rest of them. They were all bad f'n ass. Capital F'n.

But as of now, she felt pretty bad-ass herself. She smoothed out her skirt then took a seat. After crossing her legs, she tossed a brilliant hazel-green eyed wink and flashed a fond smile over at Money over there to cap it all off. Bad. F'n. Ass.

Fo'sho.

His concerns looked to be unfounded after all - for the most part.

Robin seemed...well...competent enough, he supposed, to pull off the disguise past all of them. Sloan didn't have the same reaction to the kleptomania confession that some of the others did, either. All Butei learned to pack one suitcase, so there wasn't a lot of room for souvenirs, and the Dagula kept his Supra's floor and passenger's seat immaculate to boot, so he wasn't worried about having to bolt too much to the ground around the team leader. No point in getting riled up before he even steals my phone charger.

The Dagula and his Logi friend seemed competent enough, though one treated him with professional courtesy and the other with barely kept disdain. Ah well. Not like he was gonna please 'em all. As it was, Division Six had been much more tolerant of his Bloodline than even the Dagula instructors had been in his first months as a specialist. Gimme twenty years and three dozen of him, one had said, and we won't even need a Dagula school.

It looked like praise on the surface, but Sloan had always read it as job security blues. It was a nicer version of one of his dad's favorite threats:

Boy, you test me with that come hither bullshit one more time, I'm gonna make your skull rattle like a goddamn windchime!

Sloan missed home sometimes. Anyway!

He liked Nadia instantly; if her introduction was anything to go by, she had a good check on herself when not using her bloodline, and she seemed nice enough when they talked. If she needed someone to shoot straight with, there were worse things in the world than holding a conversation with. If not, at least she was a more reliable distraction than Murphy. The good-ol-boy accent was nice and all, but Sloan remembered the look he'd been aimed and the 'If that don't work, use more gun' sentiments of his warning crystal clear.

Suzumi was somewhere in the middle, reminding him so much of Khabif that it was spooky. A good thing...probably...but spooky.

Even Nellie and Deuce had surprised him; the team's final Assault Butei was remarkably pleasant, one of the most thus far, and Deuce's icebreaker had been perhaps the most to-the-point of all. He wasn't ready to write off his first impression completely, but at least he wasn't as much of a chatterbox as he'd led everyone to believe. Maybe.

Sloan finished up his scone while everyone was talking and folded up the crumby napkins neatly into a tight, compact square.

"I'm feeling good about this," he said optimistically to Nadia, still the closest person in earshot. "I half-expected a real rogue's gallery."

Robin listened attentively as his teammates introduced themselves one by one. Since he already helped himself to their dossiers before coming to the city, and had more than enough time to observe them while they made their orders and waited, none of their introductions really surprised him. They more or less confirmed his observations. Nadia was the quiet, reserved type. Aimee was extremely hyper. Nellie was rather to the point. Victor had a rather colourful personality - at least, he assumed people who offered massages after introducing themselves were like that. They were all acting professionally, at least. No insults or comments about his thievery or Sloan's Bloodline.

Robin wasn't so quick to assume that it was out of sheer professionalism, however. It was also reasonable to guess that these bunch were simply testing the waters, afraid to cause a ruckus so soon after meeting. Only time would tell, after weeks or months of living together, if they were still going to be as trusting of each others. When Cerberus had started putting Butei together in teams to operate specially in cities, it quickly became apparent Robin that Division Six had been assigned here both for their abilities and also to serve as guinea pigs. Could Butei of different backgrounds and little contact during their time at the Academy function properly as a team?

The distaste for being a lab experiment aside, it didn't change the fact that Robin was determined to make sure this team succeeded. Their reputations and careers weren't the only thing on the line. From what he had gathered about Arkhan, the criminal elements of the city would be more than willing to gut them if they were made. It was a lot of pressure to perform, not just as an agent but as a team leader. Their lives rested on his shoulders. If he made a bad call...

He decided not to dwell on it and turned to Suzumi, who was sitting beside him. He flashed her his best charming smile, one he often used to talk women into slipping him information without being the wiser. The only difference was, this smile was sincere since he was talking to a comrade, not a mark. "Miss Kalashnikov, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I can translate in Russian if you like." He offered generously, speaking in fluent Russian. It seemed that the Lezzad instructors' insistence on mastery of different languages had paid off after all.

She supposed people would find Mister Talks' power scary. Suzumi understood that fear but it didn't quite hold to her. With focus and will you could fight or at least resist such a power. However...

A sniper. That was interesting. That was scary. Snipers were strange people. Suzumi had no idea what to think of them. They were both reassuring and terrifying at the same time. On one hand they had your back. On the other hand they had your back. Suzumi didn't mind the idea of taking out an enemy who never saw you coming, but only when she was the one who was doing the taking.

The idea that one day she might be walking down the street and was suddenly dead is scary. All her training, all her skill, completely irrelevant in the face of the bullet she never got the chance to avoid. A bullet she never knew was coming.

Suzumi had a healthy respect for those who lurk behind the scope. She often didn't like them, but she most definitely always respected them.



Herr Doktor spoke up. Germans were also interesting. Especially German doctors. She half expected him to be a cackling madman in his spare time but he seemed okay. She didn't catch his bloodline but it might be something she knew. Was he perhaps the descendant of a World War doctor? Suzumi's knowledge of world history began and ended with the second World War. Something to look into later maybe.

The Doctor was followed by The Facestomper. Khan. Genghis Khan? She wondered if Facestomper ever considered professional fighting. Did professional fighting syndicates check for Bloodlines? She knew they didn't in Russia. At least the less reputable ones didn't.

Suzumi did not have a clever nickname to give the man calling himself Deuce. He had said a lot but had not given away much information. That seemed like a good skill to have for his kind of role. From the way he spoke it seemed as if this was not the first assignment for some people. Suzumi had been under the impression everyone here was fresh, excepting maybe the Gypsy Boss. She would keep an eye on Deuce but she did appreciate his personal professionalism; if Suzumi were captured and tortured a skilled interrogator could glean information from her - but she would have nothing to give them on this Deuce man.

Her brain broke down trying to comprehend all of the driver's speech. She did understand the woman was a driver at least. That was good.



Suzumi raised her eyebrows as the man beside her began speaking in Russian. "<I can speak and understand English, it is only the nuances and turn of phrase that elude me>" she explained. "<If you have something you need to say to me personally, Russian or Japanese would be good. You offer is kind, but I shouldn't need an actual translator unless someone overloads with pop culture or strange English colloquialisms>"

She took another drink of her water. "<So, Gypsy Boss, do we have a tactical plan yet or are we working on it?>"

Suzumi froze as she realized she'd called him Gypsy Boss and not his actual name. Crap

The text went out, but at the time, Ellis has been a little busy. So, when it actually came time for him to check his phone, there was no way in hell he would have made it in time. Only a few minutes late, but still. Tardiness was something few people tolerated, especially in his line of business, or the businesses he was often around. When he'd arrived at his little apartment, he'd found most of it trashed, his bed halfway out the window, the TV busted, the walls busted up, and his refrigerator ransacked. After a quick little search of the asshole who'd done all that to him, he was able to get away with looking at his phone, set an assault team on its way, and hopped onto the next train for Arkhan.

The train ride was, as was to be expected, boring as hell. Ellis would have rather been out on a rainy night tracking a serial killer than sitting there in a state of half-sleep, half-consciousness that did not allow him any rest and only made him more tired while he listened to young couples bicker to each other about idiotic young love stuff and old ladies talk about people behind their backs, him being one of them, though not the focus of their gossip. Getting off the train had been like a gift from God Himself, and he thought about actually visiting a church some time. If Arkhan had any real churches.

As he walked down the streets of Arkhan, he pulled out a match and lit his cigarette. Call him old fashioned, but he was a staunch believer that, somehow, some way, lighters took away some of the flavor of a good smoke. His nostrils filled with the smoke to drain out anything foreign, he was able to concentrate a little better on what was going on. A few blocks down, the Starbucks in question was already locked up and closed. Anyone else would assume it empty, but someone like him could tell there was more going on. Mission planning, introductions, the whole spiel going down. He let out a sigh, blew out some smoke, and kept on walking, making mental notes of all that went on while making the conscious effort not to repeat any of it out loud. He was bad about that, often speaking as he talked without really trying to. Sometimes it got real bad.

But now he was just getting distracted. His attention turned to the city around him, and the people milling in the streets at this late out. Cities like this always had people around, and in the dark, those people were far more likely to shoot someone else. The fact that he looked like a cop straight out of the 1950's didn't much help, but the fairly big gun at his hip did. They didn't know he could shoot about as well as a blind man. Speaking of shooting, two of the assaults seemed to be just a tad too trigger happy for his tastes, but that couldn't be helped. At least they'd be able to cover his ass while he was running away. Or hiding. Whichever was better at the time.

He let out a sigh as he reached the door, and waited for the Russians to finish up their dialogue. While he did, he took a tally; driver, two dagulas, four assaults - three ranged, one melee - logi, and two lezzad, one of which was the team leader. 'Course, it had to be a lezzad in charge, but just what did he expect? They'd never put an assault or dagula in charge of a team, and logi, were background guys. With a shake of his head and a sigh, he raised his fist and knocked on the metal part of the door, saying, "Hey, I know you're closed, but I need some coffee to get me through the night. Just got told I had a team meeting that'd keep me up all night!"

"Gypsy Boss?" Robin asked with a bemused smile on his face. He was kind of glad there wasn't an actual Romani in their midst, since they didn't like the term 'gypsy' being thrown around so casually. He figured it was her way of remembering people, or to get a grasp of her team's abilities. He made a mental note to ask her what her nicknames for the rest of the team were later. "Because of the disguise thing?"

He continued speaking in Russian, figuring Suzumi would be a lot more comfortable with her native language and help her warm up to him faster. At least, he could make sure most of the team didn't catch on to her nickname for him and muse if her nicknames for them were just as colourful. Most probably wouldn't object, but some might be sensitive to her choice of words. "I don't know, Miss Kalashnikov. I was thinking we might pair up and surround them from every possible entrance. Turn the inside of that warehouse into a killing ground. This way the Assault guys can protect us meek little spies and Logi types. But some might prefer to go in and make the party as loud as possible. The quieter ones can come in from behind and pick off the stragglers. What do you think?"

He slipped in a few wise cracks on his own, to communicate to the Russian girl that he was fine with his nickname, though he should probably tell her not to use that nickname in public. Not that Suzumi seemed the type to give a crap about political correctness. The conversation was promptly interrupted by someone knocking on the metal shutters. Robin sighed and got up. "If you would excuse me, my fair lady."

Unlocking the shutter to give just enough of a gap for their latecomer to enter. Robin sighed. "I was beginning to think we might find a Butei corpse in the morning. Better late than never, I suppose." The comment was mostly in jest, but the fact that they had used public transport to prevent any links to Cerberus endorsed agents slipping in to the city also meant that they were exposed. It was impossible to secure a vehicle if you had no idea which one was going to be the one you were riding on at the station or interchange, much less if you rushed to catch it. "We're in the middle of introductions and coming up with a plan, feel free to take a chair."

"Because of the disguise thing?"

"Nyet", she responded. "<Because gypsies are thieves who cannot pass up a chance to liberate possessions from someone's care. You are, by your own admission, a kleptomaniac>"

Suzumi listened carefully to the general strategy he laid out. It was rather simplified - the details would obviously be later - but she got the points well enough. Suzumi thought to herself for a moment.

"<If we are assuming we have superior firepower and the element of surprise on our side, that is a good tactic. We must be careful though. If they see this coming they will have a significant terrain advantage>"

Any response was interrupted by a knocking outside. Another Butei gave a rather well hidden message in a simple sentence, something you would instantly understand if you knew the secret. It was good to work with professionals. "If you would excuse me, my fair lady." the Boss said, rising to open the door.

Suzumi snorted, smiling at that. Regular princess she was.

"Sorry about that." Robin returned, continuing his conversation with Suzumi. Her derision at the last compliment had been noted. Well, considering her background and how she was behaving, it couldn't be more obvious she wasn't the very ladylike type. If at all. Still, he noted that he finally managed to get her to crack a smile. "Anyway, Miss Kalashnikov, I am no petty thief. I am only interested in stealing things that are unique, valuable, and challenging to get to. Like the attention of a pretty lady."

He was probably laying on a bit too much charm, but he felt as if he could just be a goofball around the Russian. She didn't seem to mind it, though he was quick to evaluate her input on his tactic as well. "We'll be outnumbered, but I'm not so sure about being outgunned. They did not recruit Bloodlines and Assault Butei of high caliber like yourself for no good reason." He was fairly certain he would want Aimee and Arryn securing the perimeter in some kind of technical, seeing as how both of them were well-suited to the job. Hell, a well-armoured vehicle could probably lock down the front entrance with just the two of them. The beginnings of a plan were forming in his head, but the assignment of personnel was a problem. He wanted to make sure everyone had a partner who could cover their back and had good synergy between their methods and Bloodlines, but also knew there wasn't going to be any way he could make everyone happy.

"I don't suppose you'd be willing to pair up with me and keep my pretty face from getting shot?" He asked the Russian with a lighthearted laugh.

"Thanks for letting a friend in," he said, then slipped past and shut the door behind him. Since everyone else had gone on and introduced themselves, he figured he might as well say something quick for them, just to be fair. ""Name's Ellis Williams, and if I hear one crack about the name or a Left 4 Dead 2 reference, I'm going to break you're nose. My Bloodline, as ridiculous as it sounds, comes from a Greek monster called Argos, and allows me to hear, see, and smell more than any one else on Earth. So, no need for introductions, because I heard you all on the way over here." He smiled, nodded, then went around behind the counter to make some coffee. "If anyone else wants anything, I'll be back here."

It's too bad Ellis couldn't speak Russian, else he'd attempt to listen in on the boss's conversation. As it were, he tuned his ears and got a good look at the rest of the people in Division Six. Sloan, the smooth talker who could use his voice to sway others, was one that he in particular disliked, simply on principle of his Bloodline. It wasn't right to have a voice like that, especially in the hands of the Butei Intelligence. Nothing he could do about it now, though, so he settled on staring at the man for a few seconds before turning his gaze back down to the black mug of coffee in his hands.

He put out the cigarette, and took a sip of his coffee. The taste was horrid, but it did what it needed. It would be a long night, and he would need the caffeine to stay up and alert throughout the night. With a sigh, he began to look for any other Americans around, so he could hold up a conversation with someone, if they were willing. Unfortunately, the only one he could pick out as decidedly American was a country boy wearing an Army shirt and pretty much anything else one could get out of a surplus store. And as for the foreigners, he really had nothing to say to any of them either, so rather he just got himself comfortable behind the counter, sipping on his coffee while the rest exchanged pleasantries.

The following introductions from Victor, Nadia, Deuce, and Aimee pleased her. All different people with their own unique qualities and personalities. It was also nice to see that everyone was being polite at some degree. Nellie only hoped that the peace would last until they finished their critical first mission. Mistrust and miscommunication could destroy the team. Since everyone was done introducing themselves, Nellie leaned back on her chair, her eyes closing as she half-listened to Robin’s and Suzumi’s conversation.

She heard Robin formulating a plan where all of them would pair up and surround the enemy. It was a good one, and since Nellie had no objections, she kept her mouth shut. However, that cool silence she was trying to maintain almost shattered when Robin called Suzumi his fair lady. He was certainly a charming man. Then a few knocks were heard and Robin got up to answer the door.

Nellie looked over to observe the newcomer, noting his rather slobby appearance and the cigarette in his hand. Her lips trembled into a frown. Smoking was not healthy. Anyways, his name was Ellis Williams and honestly, his introduction confused Nellie. What in the world was Left 4 Dead 2? It wasn’t good being left behind by your comrades… Huh. She was almost embarrassed to ask what he meant. Other then that, Ellis seemed just as skilled as the others were.

She never had the privilege of doing ‘normal things’. What little free-time she had was spent training, studying, or cleaning her weapon. The assault program was brutal. Sniper school was also brutal, if not worse. There were many students who dropped out or died because they failed to complete their target missions in time. Nellie thought about the many ‘practice’ runs she had to go through. There was one time were they were left stranded with just ammo and their sniper rifle. If she recalled correctly, two people were killed. Yet she survived, all of those practice missions shaping Nellie into what she is today.

Well it was time for her to get to know people. Actually, it was time for her to lecture a certain someone about the dangers of smoking. The tall woman got up from her chair and made her way towards the rugged guy who was now drinking coffee. She stopped just mere inches away from him, her eyebrows furrowed together in thought.

"Smoking will surely kill you," she quietly murmured before snapping out of her lecture-mode. Bad Nellie. You have to get to know this person first before trying to stop their bad habits. She quickly changed the subject, color rising to her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around herself. She took a step back, averting her gaze. "Uhm, so what's this Left 4 Dead 2? Is that some sort of American mythology?"

His ears twitched as he heard Nellie coming, and, instead of turning to look at her, he replied, "Just as surely as this city will. Might die young, might as well get some enjoyment out of life." He smiled and turned to face her, then gave a nervous laugh and ran his hand through his hair. "Sorry, that was a bit morbid. But, you're right, I shouldn't smoke as much as I do. I'll try to tone it down a bit for you, if it'll make you feel better." He took another long drink of his coffee, then set the empty mug on the counter.

"Never heard of it, huh? It's kind of an older game, early 2000's, was about these four people who were trying to survive the apocalypse. One of the character's names was Ellis, was a real country hick. I expect Murphy over there to get it, so it was a word of warning to him, mostly." He was honestly surprised she hadn't heard of it, however that was beside the point. "Er, sorry, didn't mean to bore you with some dumb game reference."

Wow, Ellis, smooth, he thought, letting out a sigh. He wasn't good talking to people he didn't know well, and tended to either ramble about something stupid or not talk at all. It was hard to find a good middle ground, but he didn't want it to fall into an awkward silence. To fill that void, he'd just ask a simple question. Get her to do all the work and talk. "So, I missed a bit there. Care to fill me in on what the other's are like? Or, if you don't feel like gossiping, just something about you. I totally understand if you don't want to talk to a stranger about yourself, though," he added hastily, beginning to get flustered again.

Her lips pulled up into a bright smile when Ellis said he would tone down his smoking. It was a start. While his response before that was morbid, it was true. Arkhan was a filthy city with crime and corruption festering in every corner. That was why Cerberus formed a team of highly skilled individuals - they were supposed to cleanse Arkhan. Ellis then began to explain what Left 4 Dead 2 was with Nellie hanging on to every word.

When he finished talking, Nellie could almost touch the nervousness that the man was giving off. In some odd way, Nellie was relieved. She had trouble socializing as well so it was good that they were practicing now. "Not at all, I think that the game's concept is interesting. Perhaps I'll play it once we finish our first mission," she said. "Ah." She glanced down at the ground in thought as she tried to come up with a couple of phrases that described the others. Nothing came in mind - Nellie didn't know them that well. "Can't really say much. All I know is that they're skilled...I'm sure they're all good people though," she optimistically added.

A light chuckle escaped her lips as she looked at him. "I guess we better start breaking the 'stranger' relationship stage, right? Hmm, something about me? Well, uh, I enjoy baking?" She suddenly sighed, bringing up a hand to her forehead. "Goodness, I'm terrible at this. Uhm... I don't really have any hobbies besides shooting and baking. I've spent most of my life training," she said with a slight frown. Maybe she should have went out more. How about you?"

Murphy watched as more introductions ticked out, one by one, all more or less lining up with what was expected of an intro. When the other American walked in and introduced himself, Murphy had already been formulating a few Left 4 Dead jokes, as that game had been a decent part of his teenage years. Sadly for him, the other man cut him off at the pass by indicating he was in no way okay with those jokes. He sighed and allowed his eyes to cast about, looking at the various discussions beginning to unfold around him as the various members of the team began to talk to one another and get to know each-other. Suzumi and the TL, Ellis and Nellie the sniper, everyone seemed to be pairing off pretty quickly, so it would behoove him to do so as well. However, of them, who had piqued his interest enough to warrant a talk?

Maybe the driver, Aimee she'd said her name was, or "Lady Ascension". She was a real wizard with vehicles, though he did recall her being rather quirky back during the academy. However, he also recalled her incredible skill with anything that moved, from planes to choppers to armored vehicles. He remembered once their chopper had begun to malfunction in mid-air, and he'd prepped to jump out with a fast-rope and hope for the best, along with the others moving with him. However, despite what should've been a game-ending malfunction, not only did she get them to their target, but she stayed on station long enough to get them out too. Based on that memory alone, he'd happily entrust his life to the girl, and that was good as, if ever WAS caught out of her vehicle, she'd have to do the same with him.

He approached her then, an easy smile on his face, and pulled up a seat next to her. Grabbing his jacket over and setting it on the table next to him, he gave a slight smile. Not that they'd know it, but this was actually a pretty substantial show of trust for Jacob, when given that he barely knew her. Sure, he wasn't some paranoid shell-shocked vet, but he did like to be safe in his line of work. So, it was a big deal that he had set his jacket, and thus his gun, further out of reach than if it were just around the chair. With that easy smile persisting, he asked her "So, Lady Ascension, or would you prefer me to call you Aimee? I remember ridin with you a few times back in Academy, glad to see you're here too. So, whaddya think about all this then?" With that, he gestured to the others before continuing "Seem like a good enough lot to me, so far at least. We'll all be trusting you, but I don't have a problem with it. You're the best damn wheel-woman, pilot, whatever I've ever had the pleasure of experiencin."

Victor watched everyone break into small pairs and start chit chatting, still remaining in his seat in the back. Robin and Suzumi were chatting in Russian nearby. He caught the gist of it, though his own Russian was so broken that he missed a lot between the two fluent speakers. He did catch that Robin was laying on the charm and flirting up a storm, and this made the German grin. Nadia and Sloan were still at their table. The American Murphy had approached Aimee, seemed he remembered her. The late comer, Ellis, and Nellie were talking about...video games? Victor stood up, shooting his cuffs and straightening his tie for a moment. His options were simple. Stay in the back, and be that one Dagula stereotype who watched and smiled and scared everybody. Or approach the only two who hadn't paired up yet, Duece and Arryn. Well, when in Rome...he adjusted his glasses, polished shoes clipping as he walked towards the two, and gave a smile and a short wave.

"Hallo, I vill be playing ze part of ze sird veel tonight. It is a pleasure to meet you, Frau Zech. It is reassuring to know ve vill have support of a Logi during our time here, ja?"

Contrary to what apparently everyone else felt, Victor was quite fond of Logi. They were immensely useful and reliable, especially to a specialist like himself. A drone in the right place or a camera giving out at the right time was often the difference between Victor succeeding at his objective or simply ending up a bullet sponge. His blue eyes went over to Deuce, arms behind his back in a relaxed posture.

"Und you, Herr Marlowe. Anosser Lessad, und one with ze reputation of being quite ze speed demon."

He spread his arms with a wide grin.

"So! Vat shall ve talk about?"