Sampson paused, as the girl in the rainbow dress skipped back into the hallway, this time carrying a mountain of eggs on a plate much too small. He cocked an eyebrow at the hacker, mouth ever so slightly open in an unfinished question. On her part, the only answer was a rerun of the same smug smirk she had been wearing when she had entered the conversation.

Things were going to be different around here.

While the omnic spoke to the newest arrival, his eyes scanned the hallway, reading expressions. It was odd, all these persons of interest congregating in what looked to be a small passage off the barracks. To be entirely honest, it was a little unsettling. The hallways were downright empty. He had been expecting a military base, and while the facility was certainly spacious enough and had the decor for it, he had only seen footsoldiers training when he flew in the day before, drilling in the practice rooms. He knew that certain agents were given special quarters, but they were in the heart of the base. Something was strange. Maybe an op was going on?

Still, he couldn’t slack off. While Jimmy walked over to sniff at the teenager, he thought back to his helicopter ride yesterday, matching files to faces.

Real name unknown, callsign: Sombra. Age 30. Hacker, stealth agent. Head of Technological Warfare. May or may not have connections to the enemy. Motivations: wealth, personal power. Sassy. She was a woman of means in the world, and that was something Sampson could respect. She was damn good at her job, and from his understanding was the source of intel for Talon. Still, the sight of the glint in her eye when she saw his arm made him glad his tech was simple.

Peacere, callsign: Marionette. Age 30. Traps, ambushes, sabotage. Performs his job well, low casualty rates when he operates with a unit. Motivations unclear. Apparently has a sense of humor. Now that issues were squared away, he’d have to talk a little more to this one. Familiar faces aside, his abilities would be more than useful in a few plans Sampson was slapping together.

Ceriwedyn Autumndale, callsign: Chaos. Age 17. Low mobility, high damage potential. Came out of nowhere two years ago. Motivations unclear. Cheery, evidently. She was young, but he couldn’t talk. He killed his first man at twelve and was working with mercs three years later. He wasn’t going to lie though, he had heard that Talon was a group of hardened terrorists and mercenaries. While Peacere was up to his expectations and he had read plenty about Sombra, he was honestly a little surprised at Ceriwedyn. He had been a mercenary at that age, but she was so… clean. She’d been here for two years, so she had to be able to hold her ground, though. And judging from how Jimmy was wagging his tail at her, his jowls loose beside his neck and his eye looking up at her with a kind of reverence, he either thought she was alright or he really wanted some of her eggs. Probably both, that dog loved everyone.

His eyes settled on first Sombra, then Peacere. He was going to keep the omnic to his word, and already he could feel the gears turning. This was an oddball crew, but really, when did he ever work with people who weren’t? The girl could shoot lightning out of her hands, Sombra was supposedly the best hacker in the world, and Peacere was an omnic soldier from the First Crisis. They had their quirks, but the firepower more than made up for it. Gears already turning in his head, he couldn’t wait to meet the rest of Talon. Especially his unit, hell. He was supposed to have a fireteam, somewhere.

More importantly for now, foibles aside, he was still new here, and getting to know the locals was a good first step for any op. Looking at the girl with the mismatched clothes, he opened and closed his mouth for a moment, confusion at how to address her apparent on his face. He smiled to himself, gathering his words. Food. Food was a good start.

Clapping his hands together, he met the gaze of Ceriwedyn, obviously amused with his reactions. He gave a sheepish grin. “Ceri, right? I know I haven’t introduced myself and I’m not tryin’ to be rude, but on the topic of breakfast, would anyone care to direct me towards the mess? 'S been a solid twelve hours since me or the big guy had chow,” his drawl grew slightly more pronounced as the conversation shifted. He walked over to Jimmy, turning to face the group as he scratched between the mutt’s ears with his nonmechanical hand. His eyes were on Sombra. “Then we can discuss plans.” He maintained eye contact for a moment while the pup licked his hand, finally breaking as he glanced at the pooch, exasperation evident on his face. “...and then I’ll take ya for a run. Promise ‘s a promise.”

"Done", Scorn said placing a brush down and giving a mischievous grin to the mirror, a skull face greeting her back, "I impress myself." She put her face paint tools away about to leave but stopped looking into the mirror again seeing a speck of blood between her eye and bring of her noise. She paused briefly removing the speck before inspecting her face once more with a slightly frown.

"Probably nothing", she stated before her smile return to her face and left the bathroom she had been working in. Scorn's claws gave a slight clinking sound as she walked out of the bathhroom and down the hallways of the Talon base, making a bee line to the dining room for a bit of late breakfast. The closer she got to the dining room she began to hear voices, no doubt her comrades.

"You guys having a party and I wasn't invited? I'm hurt," Scorn said playfully pouting as she joined the band of others that were seemingly gathered in the hallway. There was Sombra, the resident hacker and tech person, Ciri, the overly hyper electric girl, Peacere the omnic that she occasionally liked to mess with for her amusement, and a new recruit it seem having never seen his face before.

"Who's the newbie?" she asked looking at him before skipping slightly over to him and offering her clawed hand, "Name is Scorn. I don't bite, often anyways. Oh a dog!" She quickly got distracted by the dog at the new person's side getting down to its level."You are a handsome boy aren't you?" As quickly as she got distracted she remembered her true goal and shifted back to standing.

"Love to stay and chat but I'm starving so if you want to move the conversation on the road, all to the dining room then," Scorn said skipping past everyone to find food.

Location: kitchen
Interacting with: anyone in or near kitchen

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Ajax is awoken by a dog licking his face. Somehow, his young German Shepered pup named Reeses had gotten onto his bed. Ajax pushed the dog away and rubbed his eyes as he stretched and yawned. The dog then jumped off his bed and ran to the door of Ajax's bedroom and grabbed a leash belonging to him. Reeses then proceeded to run back and jump on top of Ajax dropping the leash on his face. "it's so early...but fine...only for you" the dog jumped and ran to the door in excitement, his tail wagging happily as he sat and waited for his owner. Ajax quickly got dressed, put his shoes on, and attached the leash to his dog's collar before opening the door and running out with him, he managed to get past everyone without being noticed, just as the sun rose.

It had rained the night before so the trails had mud in various places which Ajax tried to avoid. The puppy, however, had other plans. As the ran by the first muddy area the pup tugged Ajax towards it. Ajax, shocked by the sudden movement tripped and fell face first into the mud. Realizing the dog had done it on purpose he chased after him tackling the dog and rollin with him in the mud laughing all the while. Ajax continued to run along playfully on the trail. His joy is evident as he plays in the mud, splashing and rolling around with his furry animal now barely distinguishable as a dog because of all the mud. He and Reeses had the time of their lives rolling around in the mud. After an hour of fun Ajax decided it was time to head home and started heading back the way they came with Reeses trotting happily alongside.

As they made they're way back he decided it wouldn't be nice to Angela to walk into the base without cleaning off a bit so he wiped his feet off and his dog's paws off before entering. Ajax walked into the base and to the kitchen he was still mostly covered in mud and he is carrying his puppy also covered in mud as he grins ear to ear "Reeses and I are back from our morning walk...it rained last night sooooo yea" he walks up to Fareeha showing her the puppy "look at how cute he looks! He is the cutest thing ever" he sets his pup down and hugs Fareeha "morning sis!" he looks then at everyone else "morning everyone! What's for breakfast! It smells amazing! Plus I'm starved" his stomach growls in agreement

Everyone had connections these days, aside from Jesse McCree. The cowboy fancied himself a drifter these past few years, even Ana's teachings couldn't break through his own mentality. Friends dropped like flies or turned against him. The sooner he dropped them, the less likely they'd find a way to drop him - permanently. People outside of his personal bubble, however, liked to take more risks than he did. At least, the trusted a lot easier and it seemed to pay off for them in some form or fashion.

Three mercenaries jumped him on his switch from Phoenix to Carson City. Jesse immediately regretted not simply taking that all the way to Los Angeles. Both bullets ended up in Seattle. Dumb. Now he sat in one of the empty storage compartments, his pants hiked up to the knee to allow his hands to roam his calf freely. A fresh wound, a deep slash from a knife that caught him on his jump from cart to cart.

"Shoulda seen the other guy," he muttered to himself, hissing at the sting of alcohol lathering his leg. If it were for anything else, Jesse'd have qualms with wasting a good bottle of Jack Daniels. He hiked his leg up to get a better glimpse at the wound, snatching the needle and thread he'd picked from two different suitcases. With how he looked these days, no one really bothered to actually pay him any attention. Funny how people were quick to ignore anything that shattered their perfect lives.

"N'ah," Jesse grunted, pausing to take a few gulps of air. His eyes shot up, staring at the stark white of the fluorescent lighting above him. Biting down on his lower lip, Jesse turned back to the wound, taking care to suture it with a slow and steady hand. The thread was stronger than he'd expected, but it was still flimsier and would likely tear later that night. It'd work as something temporary, just to stop the bleeding. Just to stop the bleeding.

Just to stop the bleeding.

Agony blazed through him, though Jesse tore through it to finish the job. He tied the thread off before his fingers could start shaking, slamming his mechanical hand into the side of the small compartment. "Goddammit," he bit off the curse, letting his head rest against the cool metal, sweat damped and pale. One more hour.

"Count with me, Jesse: one, two, three," her voice soothed his burning ears, a hand running through the sweat that matted his hair - he barely felt anything, much less the numbness in his left arm. "I've got you," her accent was heavy, but he understood every single word that left her mouth, "You're safe now, حبيبتي"


They're waiting for him. A number of men scattered across the loading dock; Jesse'd spotted them while hopping from cart door to cart door. The stitching held, but it wouldn't for much longer and with his visible limp, he wouldn't get two paces before they gunned him down. Jesse gritted his teeth, staring at the train monitor try to discern whether he wanted to confront Jesse or not. The man thought better, turning a blind eye while the cowboy took his limped strides down the walkway.

How many times had he found himself stuck in this situation? What'd Gabe tell him to do? Jesse growled, frustration seeping into the crease between his brows. Don't be stupid, dumbass. Don't be stupid, dumbass. Don't be stupid, dumbass.

Jesse snatched the nearest suitcase, running through junction between carts. The contents fell between the tracks as he jumped, and he took that moment to slide his hat and serape in. He threw on the jacket that at his feet, a flat cap with it. For a few moments, Jesse contemplated whether or not to dump his gun and belt in too. Biting off a curse, he threw them inside the suitcase, closed it, and moved into the next train compartment. Walking idly, he undid his chaps and tossed them onto an empty seat before bending low to snatch a few misplaced shoes - he could find another pair of boots in Seattle. Plenty of hipster shops selling antiques.

The shade hid the number of bruises on his face, and the crowd hid the blood that caked his trousers. With everything set into place, Jesse looked like another meandering business man down on his luck. Or a commuter. Either way, he blended in, slipped right passed the crows eyes and the snake in the grass. Jesse held off a chuckle for the moment he rounded the corner, the noon sun already beating down on him.

After a few blocks had passed, Jesse slid into an empty alleyway to discard the stolen goods and redress with what he'd kept. He frowned at the black soot of the shoes that replaced his boots. He looked odd, but he supposed that wasn't an issue. He looked odd everyday. Washington was just around the corner now. And with it, access to Overwatch supplies and even more ridiculous cowboy wear to flood his closet. Maybe. Jesse scrunched his nose at the thought of permanence.

Sadly, that thought couldn't have spared another moment. A bullet whizzed past his head, knicking his ear before lodging itself into the brick behind him. "Ah, shit," Jesse growled, diving back into the alleyway and behind cover. He hissed, clenching his leg. The stitches wouldn't hold with how much he'd been moving; in fact, he could feel the thread come apart with each flex of his leg. Another hiss broke from Jesse's lips as he peered from his hiding spot.

"You know," a booming voice snatched Jesse's attention and he peered closer at the shadow nearing, "Sixty mill is quite a nice reward for a deadbeat, wannabe cowboy. Come on, Eastwood, you really think I'm gonna pass that up?"

"Dunno who the hell you are, but I assure you, no crackpot shot like you's gonna collect my bounty," Jesse spat.

The man only cackled before piling his entire clip into the side of the dumpster. "You're absolutely right, McCree, I'm not collecting that bounty. Nah, I just want see you riddled with my bullets," he ended his words with the click of another magazine in place. Jesse flinched, shoving himself into the corner as bullet after bullet shredded through the pavement and the metal of his lone hiding spot.

"Come on, babe, you don't remember me?" he growled, slamming the butt of his rifle into the opposite end of the dumpster. He punctuated every word with a slam, "You don't. Remember. The man. You half. Blinded. You fucking. Prick." The second the last slam rang out, Jesse dove from his corner with a flash bang tossed overhead. It detonated with an ear piercing ring and Jesse took that chance to jump out of his roll. He hissed at the pain jolting up from his calf, but his hands barely shook as they slammed the hammer down on his pistol.

No sound echoed beyond the first shot, aside from the bullet pinging against the wall and the swish of wind against his ears. The rifle the man had been holding found its target against the side of Jesse's face, smacking him into the pavement. He grunted, losing grip of Peacekeeper as he hit the dirt. A sharp, curt laugh echoed above him; he just wanted to smother his face against the pavement. Jesse didn't get the chance. The merc slammed his foot against Jesse's shin, grounding his cut wound into the pavement below. Jesse howled, curling into himself only to find his breath knocked out as that same foot collided with his chest.

Everything in his body screamed and hissed at him, at every subtle movement he made. The man above him noticed, saw the shaking in his Jesse's limbs and the paleness that struck his features. He bent low, grabbing Jesse by his scruff and lifting him. A hand clamped around his throat, quick and like a vice as it shoved him into the wall. "Look at me," the man gritted, spitting his words into Jesse's face, "I want you to recognize me."

"Sorry," Jesse huffed, "pardner. You ain't got the best luck with a face like that."

The man slugged him, grinning at the sudden red blooming against Jesse's cheek. "Smart mouth."

"Pretty too," Jesse spat, lobbing blood onto the man's cheeks, "how's it feel to look like all the chums that frequent the shittiest dive bars in Mexico?"

That ignited something, and the man tossed him by the neck into the deserted sidewalk. He loomed over Jesse, imposing as he huffed deep breath after deep breath. Good, he wouldn't take his time finishing him off. Jesse propped himself on his elbows, stretching a bloody smile. "You wanted a fight, darlin', well I'm your goddamn huckleberry."

The man roared in indignation, rearing up for a straight dive on top of Jesse. He didn't get far before that roar turned into a muddled cry of confusion. Jesse blinked, the man lumbering for a moment as he wobbled on his feet. He looked almost out of it for a moment, his hands grabbing and tossing something at his neck before turning his rage back onto Jesse. The only thing he heard thereafter was the sound of steady pulse firing that lit up the dark alley behind them.

God, his day just got better in the worst damn way.

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“..n-nghn…”

The moan slipping from between her lips before she could stop it, Raelene lifted her arms, wrapping them one by one around the back of Jaidyn’s neck, pulling him closer as she did all she could to keep their lips connected… their bodies connected… Her breath catching in her throat as she felt his nails trailing over her sides, she shivered, her good hand slipping up and into the mess that was his hair, her fingers curling- tightening as she gripped hold of it, letting him know that she liked just what it was that he was doing to her.

It wasn’t the first time, and both of them had made it more than clear that it wasn’t going to be the last time either; actually… it had been somewhat of a regular occurrence ever since she had turned sixteen.

Pushing away from the wall, she arched her back, his arms sliding further back until they were wrapped tightly around the small of her back, bodies tangled and their lips interlocked with one another as they shuffled along, pulled apart only when the backs of his legs hit the edge of the bed, causing the both of them to fall down over the mattress; their clothes already lain both scattered and forgotten across the room as they made themselves comfortable in the moment, his lips once more making an assault upon her neck causing yet another moan like whimper to fill the air.

“..damn, ya fucking sexy when ya make that noise…”

His voice held that hunger… a hint of a growl to it as he spoke; by God, how was that more of a turn on..? Pulling her arms back, Raelene sat up, her legs straddling his lap as she stared down at him, her bright blue eyes meeting with his as she held his gaze, her hands resting lightly over his chest as she leant over, her long and wavy blonde locks falling to one side over her shoulder, “..oh, well ya know I’m only jus’ gettin’ started…”

Chuckling softly, she leant in further; choosing to close the gap between them just that little bit more as she nipped playfully at his lower lip with her pearly whites, the action only leading him to tighten his grip over her sides, a content sigh falling out through his lips, and the warmth of his breath flowing down over her own as she pressed them together once more, her fingers once more curling, the nails digging lightly into his flesh causing it to turn red as she felt him pulling her closer, her body more than willing to comply as she pushed her hips forward, pressing them up against his own.

“Rae Rae! I’m Home!”

Unable to help the annoyed groan that fell into the air around them, Raelene rolled her eyes at the mere sound of her cousin’s voice calling out to her- he had to come home now didn’t he..? Like, right this very moment. Jamison was either doing this to her on purpose, or he had extremely bad timing when it came to things like this… or maybe she just had bad luck.

Either way, it got real annoying… real fast.

“When’d ya cus get home..? Didn’ think Junker was comin’ back for like another week or two.”

Shaking her head lightly in answer to his question, she ignored the calls of her cousin, her body leant over and her lips pressing softly over and over against the soft flesh of his neck, her warm breath flowing out over his skin as she spoke, seeming to dismiss the fact altogether, “..no idea, mate… but if he’s back now, I ain’t gunna complain. Haven’t seen him in yonks.”

“So that mean ya wanna see him now, or..?”

“Nah.” Lifting her head up from where it had been hidden, Raelene once more met with his eyes, holding them with her own as that playful smirk she had before lit up her features for the second time since they had entered the bedroom, “He’s made me wait this long… time for me ta make him do the waitin’.”

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Checking the software download on his suit, Samwell noted that it would be some time. With nothing else to do, Samwell turned towards his gaming setup. He could quite easily spend the time in a game or two. Pondering on what to choose, he turned his Xbox on, grabbing his controller and sinking down into the couch, slipping his headset on, he flipped through his games, landing on Elder Scrolls Online. Pressing play, he waited to log in, pondering some dungeon crawling, and yet just questing was immersing. Dungeon crawling you had to concentrate. Choosing his dragonknight character, Samwell flicked through his quest guide, and while he decided whether to dungeon crawl or quest, he went fishing, finding a fishing hole where he was in shadowfen. He could also level up his character somewhat, his sorcerer was his highest character, having reached Champion level, at champion level 178. He was so far from reaching the champion cap, that it wasn't even in his sights.

Deciding to go questing, at least for a little bit, Samwell flicked on his headset, and opened up area chat, curiously looking to see if there was anyone nearby as TheAussieWolf appeared in the chat, his screen name. He smiled at that, a little inside joke with his parents, and choose a quest, glancing about he sighed softly as he realized he'd have to go right round an annoying mountain, getting on his black-gray wolf mount, his mammoth baby pet trumpeting as he did so. He chuckled, pressing A just to have his wolf howl.

“Well; how nice of you to join me. Where you been all morning Wolf..?”

The flash of white zipped past his prominent grey as her own wolf mount carried her into the lead of the non-existent race, the soft giggle slipping into the mic as she continued to follow the marker that indicated exactly where it was she was meant to go next- this place… unlike the other two alliances in the game (Daggerfall and Aldamiri), Ebonhart was by far the most confusing. The area itself was so spread out... the quests were hard to find- not to mention how disjointed it all seemed to be as well.

So far, they had spent the better portion of three days in Shadowfen, and they still had three more quests to find (not including the two they already had going) before they got the achievement.

Shifting her body slightly, Hana leant her back against the wall her bed rested against, the blanket resting over her lap and the girl not even bothering to hide the empty dorito packets or the half empty bottle of mountain dew that was resting against her leg, “Either you purposely gave me time to not only catch up, but also surpass you in level- oh yeah, that’s a thing now. Or… you were trying to avoid your wifey… what’s wrong..? My cooking skill not maxed out enough for you..?”

Samwell chuckled, shifting his mike so that he wasn’t breathing down it as he made to follow after her, deciding not to mention the fact that he’d be able to catch up quite quickly, turning so that he could follow her wolf running across the landscape, not even knowing what quest they were doing, instead just following, sure he’d pick it up along the way. He usually did. ”Ah, well, I was working on something, but it’s downloading right now, so I have a few hours. No rest for the wicked and all that” He said with a chuckle, flicking the button to have his character ingest one of the meals she’d made for him, up’ing his max magicka to give him a little bit more mana to use for attack, which had saved his life more than once.

”You’re cooking is perfectly fine, it keeps me going amazingly” He assured her, taking a quick detour to grab another quest, sharing it with her through their group, “Not many more to find, now! And then it's on to Eastmarch! We’re really getting through Ebonhart! Then it should be smooth sailing in Daggerfall! And then we have the DLCs!” He said quite cheerfully, settling back on his couch, he reached over for his tv remote, turning his volume down slightly.

”So, what quest are we doing? It isn’t one that we’re going to have to run right round a mountain again is it? That skeleton one took forever to get to!”

“Don’t forget the new expansion that’s just been released; once we finish everything here, we can move onto that.” Purposely ignoring the question about whether or not they were going to have to go over the mountain again, Hana kept pushing her character further, the smile playing over her lips never once wavering as she lifted a hand from her contoller, keeping her avatar on course as she brushed away the stray strands of hair from her face.

“Oh, by the way, I spoke to my brother and my boss- guess who’s coming to the next convention. Maybe we can finally meet face to face, rather than just speaking over a mic like this.”

”Hm” Samwell had forgotten about the new expansion and he smiled at his own forgetfulness, ”Right, Morrowind. I still have to preorder that” He said with a small laugh, putting his avatar's life in her hands, knowing it could very well be his death, although he was the one that seemed to keep on running right over cliffs. Sometimes there was water. Most of the time there wasn’t, and he had to keep on shelling out gold for soul gems, so he could revive where he died.

”That’s great! It would be nice to put a face to the voice” He said cheerfully, his character getting caught in a tree he had to take a moment to extract himself, his wolf leaping over the root, before he hurried to catch up with her again, ”I look forward to it” Although Samwell was sure he’d make a fool of himself in person-he just couldn’t be smooth face to face.

“So am I- this will be my third time visiting Australia too. Melbourne was always one of my favorite places to go; and the conventions I went to last time were so lively..!” Unable to hide the rather obvious excitement in her voice, Hana shifted, her back straightening slightly against the wall as she began to pay more attention to the conversation rather than the game, causing her avatar to be kicked from her mount by enemy attack.

“I can’t wait..! And my brother only really gave me one rule for the trip too, so that’s alright.” Adjusting her grip over the controller, she began to attack, the golden spear thrown knocking the enforcer flat on his back before she flicked to her staff, unleashing several flame attacks his way as she kept herself alive and on her feet, “He said he doesn’t really want me to go off on my own in the city that I don’t really know; so a friend of ours who lives in Australia said he’d keep an eye on me while I’m in the country… small price to pay for an awesome time surrounded by geeks, gamers and cosplayers.”

Samwell smiled, at the excitement in her voice, and got his avatar off his mount to help her with the enemy, pulling it towards him with his chains, and having it focus on him instead of her, helping to kill the enforcer. ”Ah, well, Aussie’s know how to throw a convention, that’s for sure” He said, thinking about his own mother a moment, and chuckled, ”Well, its nice that he cares. And I happily place myself into all three of those categories” He said, getting back onto his wolf once the enemy was killed, taking a second to glance about, see what quest markers were nearby.

”Although I don’t quite know what to go as this year”

“Hm… surprise me.” Smiling softly as she watched her avatar get back onto her mount, Hana once more relaxed back against the wall, taking a moment to quickly grab a drink from the bottle of Mountain Dew before turning her attention back over to the game, once again taking the lead as she started down the path to the quest they were headed to again, “..not sure if I’m going to dress up or not… with everything else I have to take with me; it might just be too much of a hassle to bring a costume on top of it all… not to mention wigs and makeup… Anyway; shall we..?”

Samwell chuckled ”Well, to have an effective cosplay, sure.” he said, thinking on what he could do, but deciding that that was a problem for another day, or certainly for later that day. ”I was going to ask what quest it was, but I’ll just follow you” he said, with an amused tone, ”Since I just get us lost, most of the time” He said, glancing up at the quest bar to see if anything was popping up yet, to give him some indication of where they were going, but he was more than content to follow. Blowing away a few hours on ESO, with a friend? Always worth it.

Settling back, and getting comfortable, Samwell prepared himself for a few hours of killing virtual things.

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“Good morning, Angela. Long night?”

Unable to help the way her smile grew at the sound of a familiar voice, Angela lifted her head, her brilliant blue orbs gliding around until they came to rest on his figure: Lucas Morrison. God, he could be so much like his father at times, and yet they were so different… either way; that gold hair, those beautiful eyes- the resemblance was uncanny, and undeniable.

“Guten morgen, Lucas. I hope you slept well..?” Nodding her head lightly in answer to his question while asking her own in turn, she let her attention fall back down to the large quantity of breakfast that she was preparing for the group that would undoubtedly follow their noses to the source of the smell. It was how things usually went… she worked late, sometimes not even going to bed at all before she got up early, preparing breakfast for the team and enjoying some quick though lovely downtime with her friends before having to jump right back into it all.

Ah, as was the way of life.

“Indeed… there were several cases in which I needed to consult.” Frowning for a moment, she stared down at the food in the pan, watching the bacon sizzle for a bit until she turned her gaze back to him, her eyes holding a slight hint of confusion behind them as though she were seriously asking him the question and expecting an answer, “..tell me; are we still to consider it a long night if I have not yet been to bed..?”

“LIKE POW!”

The words had barely had time to pass through her soft-pink lips before the ball of energy that was Erika was suddenly skidding past them, the girl’s body headed on a collision course with the knife she had been using before she changed direction, using Lucas to help steer her onto another path which instead led her towards the wall- though the impact never occurred, causing Angela to let out a gentle sigh of relief that she hadn’t realized she had been holding in.

“Uh… What’s up, y’all? Beautiful morning, ain’t it?”

“Heheh… good morning, Erika. As energetic as always, I see.” Giggling softly, and mostly to herself as she turned back to the food, Angela reached a hand around, her eyes focusing on the food though her hand gliding softly over the bench until she found what she was looking for: a plate. Making sure she had a good hold over it, she brought the plate around, filling it with food before she turned and placed it down in front of Erika, repeating the action for Lucas before she began to put more into the pan; the routine near flawless after the many years of repeating it morning after morning, “..and yes, I must agree with you. The sunrise this morning was magnificent.”

Quickly making sure that the food she had just put on wasn’t going to burn, Angela moved over to the blender, a quick look at the time on her watch telling her she was running just slightly late in her normal morning practice. One large banana… a cup of ice cubes… half a cup of almond milk… quarter cup of Greek yogurt… one tablespoon of peanut butter (and maybe a little extra)… and half a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Placing it all in the blender, she pressed the button, the sound of it mixing together filling the kitchen as she once more turned her attention back to the food, working to plate up the next few meals as the sound of another entering the kitchen caught her ear.

“Morning everyone! You all ready to start the day?”

Smiling brightly as Winston entered the room, Angela motioned to the hot plates she had just placed on the counter, letting him know that he was welcome to whatever was there before she turned back to the stove, sliding the empty pan off the flame prior to letting herself be drawn back over to the still mixing blender, watching it for a few more seconds before she turned it off, allowing herself to grab a glass from the cabinet hanging above her, “Good morning, Winston- your smoothie is almost ready, though by the looks of that coffee, I’m unsure if you’ll still wish for it. Either way, I hope you enjoy your breakfast this morning.”

“Guten Morgen, Dr. Ziegler. Mr. Lucas, Ms. Striker, Dr. Winston.”

“Guten morgen, Ansgar..! Wie geht es dir heute morgen..?” Slipping back into her natural tongue of German, Angela poured the contents of the blender into a larger than normal glass, being sure that she had all of it before she placed it in the sink, filling the now empty blender with some water and leaving it to soak before she picked up the glass, placing it on the counter where Winston could see it before her attention was settled upon the other German speaker in the room, a small frown upon her lips.

Once more it seemed as though he was skipping breakfast… he barely ate; and it seemed as though no matter how many times she spoke to him about the why it was so important to eat, he wasn’t about to listen to her. Though they both knew that she was stubborn enough to keep trying.

Shotting a quick glance around, she reached over the bench, plucking an apple from the large fruit bowl that was left sitting out for everyone to enjoy, before she turned herself back to him, her free hand reaching out to hover over the top of Ansgar’s coffee as she held the apple out for him to take, a soft though still rather stern expression flickering across her features, “..I may not be a dentist; however I promise you this. An apple a day, shall keep this doctor away; or at least from giving you the lecture I am sure you are sick of hearing… also, come see me later for a refill; it should be coming up to that time is it not..?”

Waiting until he had taken the apple from her, not to mention (hopefully) taken the message as well, her smile grew, her gaze holding his own for a short spell longer before she turned away, once more returning herself to the stove and the food left to cook as the conversation once more began around her.

“What orders of business needs to be done today? Sooner started, sooner finished.”

Allowing herself to get lost within her own thoughts for a few moments, Angela let her mind wander; there were a few items that had come up on her desk… people who were to be recruited, agent skill assessments needing to be redone, several agents who needed to go through a full physical, a few bounties that had been passed onto her when other agencies couldn’t complete them… however, before she could voice her thoughts, another had spoken up, and then gentle feeling of a hand upon her shoulder helped to pull her mind back to the present.

“Morning, everyone. It smells divine, Angie.”

“Mmm; flattery will get you nowhere, my dear Asbjorn… though you know I hold no objection to it either should you wish to continue.” Chuckling softly, Angela turned her head, meeting his gaze from over her shoulder, doing her best to hold his attention for a few moments before she motioned over to the hot plate of food that she had dished up not too long before he had entered the room, “Eat up. I do hope breakfast lives up to your expectations; should it not, I shall do my best to make up for it when I cook tomorrow morn.”

“Good morning, everyone.”

“Fareeha; good morning..!” At the sound of one of her best friend’s voices, she once more looked back over her shoulder, her otherwise rather tired features seeming to light up as she smiled warmly towards the woman stood at the door, “Forgive me; I seem to be running a little behind schedule this morning. If you give me a few minutes longer, I shall have your breakfast ready for you… You as well, Wendy- good morning.”

Greeting the young woman as she entered into the kitchen to join the rest of the group, Angela hurried to turn her attention back down to what she was doing, working as quickly as she could to both plate up and place their food down onto the bench where they could both see and get to them.

Yeah. I agree with Tin-Man. I would like to know early whether or not this day is going to be another paid vacation day.”

“I can assure you nothing of the sort. I have had few assignments come through my desk; possible agents to be recruited, some high priority bounties- both of which are important, and both of which will pose the agent assigned some… difficulties.” Pausing a moment as she thought on one assignment in particular, Angela frowned, her eyes seeming to stare off into the distance before she snapped herself out of it, returning herself back to the present as she once more began to explain the tasks for the day, “..those who do not get picked will remain here; completing training within the simulator. Training today will be run by Fareeha; and those that are due for their physicals, you must come by my office to see me by dinner tonight. I will be handing out assignments once we have all finished breakfast; any still sleeping, or not accounted for without my prior knowledge will be staying here at base.”

“Good morning everyone.”

Placing the last lot of food into the pan as she caught sight of Phoebe moving through the kitchen, she lifted a hand, using her fingers to neatly tuck some of her hair back and behind her ear as she went back to cooking- not long… not long left of her morning routine, and then she might be able to relax… to get even a few hours of sleep so that she could continue with her day as normally as she could possibly get, “Good morning, Phoebe; I see you have your hands full this morn-… what on Earth happened to you..?”

Her eyes widening slightly as she caught sight of both Ajax and his dog stood in the doorway, Angela looked the pair of them over, a slight annoyance and frustration written over her features as she took in the mud that (while they tried to stop) they had tracked through with them.

“Reeses and I are back from our morning walk… it rained last night, sooo, yeah… Morning sis! Morning everyone! What’s for breakfast? It smells amazing! Plus, I’m starved.”

“..I swear to you, if that dog gets mud all over the base, and on my couches again, Ajax Amari; I will personally hold you responsible, and you shall be cleaning it along with the entirety of the storage warehouse…” Frowning, her bright eyes following the pup wearily once he was set on the ground, she let her threat settle in the air, clearly not worried that others around her had heard her say such things aloud or in public as she hesitantly turned back to the food, transferring it from the pan to the last two plates before she turned off the stove, placing both plates down onto the bench; one for Ajax, and the other for Phoebe.

“..as for breakfast; you all have bacon and eggs… and I believe Lucas had put out the usual option of toast, both white and wheat. Also, those of you in the Kings Row team; remember, it’s your week for chores.” Moving over to the fridge, Angela opened it up, reaching in to take out a container of yogurt before she removed the lid, closing the fridge behind her as she moved back to stand behind the counter, taking up a spoon so that she could begin eating her own breakfast, “..so Phoebe, Winston, Ansgar; one of you will have to do the dishes.”

---

---

As Winston takes a small sip of his newly made morning coffee, Angela reminded him of something rather important. A custom of his really. He can tell from the blender in the corner of the counter with the ingredients inside. It was his personal smoothie, which included one large banana, a cup of ice cubes, half a cup of almond milk (a nice vegan substitute for regular cow milk), a quarter cup of Greek yogurt, one tablespoon of peanut butter (of course),and half a teaspoon of vanilla extract. It was the Winston Special, as Angela likes to call it, originally designed as a filling and healthy meal for Winston to eat on the go, fueling the great ape for long periods of time. It was great for going on longer missions too.

“Good morning, Winston- your smoothie is almost ready, though by the looks of that coffee, I’m unsure if you’ll still wish for it. Either way, I hope you enjoy your breakfast this morning.”

"Oh! Uh..." the ape responded as if a light bulb finally made him recognize the situation, "N-No I can still have it, thank you Dr. Zeiger. Gladly, in fact. Just a little caffeine won't hurt much really, not like I drink it often. Pulled another all nighter last night, tinkering with something, so I need just a little bit."

The next person soon arrived on scene, he being Ansgar, greeted everyone within the area in German himself, “Guten Morgen, Dr. Zeigler. Mr. Lucas, Ms. Striker, Dr. Winston.”

The ape waves back as his smoothie was placed in front of him, silently thanking Angela for the drink, "Morning Sergeant Ansgar!" He then takes a nice swig as he chugs down half of the cup, sighing as he takes a big ole' breather. Yup, it was just what the doctor ordered. A nice healthy boost for the day ahead.

Soon the rest of the members came into the kitchen, with Asbjorn...

“Morning, everyone. It smells divine, Angie.”

Then Fareeha.

“Good morning, everyone.”

Văn Nguyệt.

"Yeah. I agree with Tin-Man. I would like to know early whether or not this day is going to be another paid vacation day.”

Phoebe.

“Good morning everyone.”

Even Ajax Amari with his dog Resses, who was covered in mud after a rain storm last night.

"Ohhh boy. You might wanna have him be left outside in the back for awhile till he dries off. You wouldn't want to see her angry really..." Winston speaks to Ajax after Angela warns the two about mud being covered all over the base. He grunts to himself quietly followed by a chuckle, "And to think I'm bad when I'm mad..."

He greets all the incoming agents with proper manners and respect. Angela then announces the situation at hand, “..as for breakfast; you all have bacon and eggs… and I believe Lucas had put out the usual option of toast, both white and wheat. Also, those of you in the Kings Row team; remember, it’s your week for chores.” Moving over to the fridge, Angela opened it up, reaching in to take out a container of yogurt before she removed the lid, closing the fridge behind her as she moved back to stand behind the counter, taking up a spoon so that she could begin eating her own breakfast, “..so Phoebe, Winston, Ansgar; one of you will have to do the dishes.”

"I'll do them, don't worry." Winston replies as soon as Angela finished speaking. He takes his empty cup and puts it in the sink. After applying several rubber cloves on his massive hands, he flicks the switch on the faucet, turning on the warm water. He then begins to wash the dishes like a gentleman should. He really wasn't fond of doing chores, hell when does everyone like doing chores (let alone not getting paid), but the great ape might as well finish his round first thing and not have to do it later. After all, he's also proving to be a good hero and per~ well... figure for the heroes to look up to. Even if the chores are rather ordinary than extreme.

Soon enough, the ninja agent Genji came into the scene.

"Doctor Ziegler, hello! Athena informed me that we would be receiving new assignments this morning... Although I seem to have arrived too early."

"Ah cmon Genji! Winston replies with a friendly laugh, "It's never too early to report for duty. C'mon, eat your breakfast and lets socialize a bit!"

After doing the dishes in a tight and ordinary matter, he would sit down at the table and eat the breakfast that was presented.

---

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Ansgar watched the steady trickle of people coming in, not really thinking too much on the lot of them, nor did he greet them. The German was not the most sociable person in the world, not to say there weren't those that he approved of, rather, he just wasn't a chatty person beyond societal niceties. There were those he talked with when the opportunity presented itself, Dr. Zeigler being one of them, as she also spoke his native tongue, and one he was far more comfortable with, coupled with the fact she tended to disaprove of some of his habits. Which she was so quick to point out by not only blocking his coffee, but offering an apple to him instead and was making it very clear that, until he took it, she would not be getting off his case. Talk about the team mom, he smirked at the thought, knowing full well how amusing the thought wouldn't be if he had gone and spoken it. But, thanks to the respect he had for her, he kept his mouth shut for once, instead rolling his eyes and taking the apple, responding to her initially in German, though he answered anything she spoke in English using, well, English. "Lange Nacht, Doktor, meine Teile wieder fixieren. Und deine Nacht? Ich arbeite nicht zu hart?"

"You worry too much Doctor, between the vitamins and the cybernetics, I don't actually have to eat that much. I eat well during the main meal anyways. Besides, not a fan of apples, personally. Apple skin tends to get in my teeth, its rather troublesome, really." Was that the truth? Hell of Ansgar knew, he just wasn't that hungry outside of the one meal a day he actually ate properly at. Yet the good Doctor would always nag him about it, and he would usually take the apple or given item she was pushing to get her to stop nagging long enough to make said item vanish. He knew enough about his inner workings to repair them and keep them, well, working. The fine details and deep science of it? Well above his paygrade. He was quiet while she went about calling others out and giving out orders, the mention of refilling his vitamins and, alongside physicals which he knew he was do for, got a quiet sigh from him. He wasn't a fan of showing off the amount of work that went into keeping him alive, and being hooked up to the power the base used was never pleasant. The internal convertor never agreed with the base voltage, but it worked. Just wasn't fun.

"Well Doctor, do you want to see the physicals before, or after training? I'm sure the human Harrier over there has a grand old training plan for the ones staying behind today. And I'll have to see you for the prescription refill, regardless, so I'll try to not swing by when your too busy." Ansgar shot a look at Fareeha that would at least indicate that he was just poking fun. She was a strong soldier, even if she had that odd obsession with flying around, raining justice from above, all that nonsense. Really, a good bullet to the head or well placed rocket was far more efficient than that missile barrage she seemed to favor when backed against a wall. Then again, it was a damn sight more intimidating to see a wall of rockets coming from above, than just one. So he could argue it both ways, really. Being called tin man was nothing new, he was used to it on quite a few times from different people, so having it as a nickname again was really fine by him. Originally, because of his armor. Now, though? Being as much metal as he was man made the tine man moniker rather fitting really.

Having failed to find an opportunity to ditch the apple, he begrudgingly took a bite, after chewing a bit and washing it down with a swig of coffee, sighed and picked at his teeth briefly, dislodging some of the apple's skin that had gotten stuck in his teeth. This. This was why he didn't like apples, or anything with some sort of skin. Sighing to himself, he would either have to be more careful about the apple and its infernal ability to get in between his teeth, or stall long enough to pitch it and go about his business. He would have done the dishes, but Winston jumped in first. Rather funny, really, seeing a massive gorilla doing the dishes. Some might see the fact that one of the most famous members of Overwatch willing to do the dishes was humbling and inspiring. Ansgar? He thought it was funny to watch such an oversized figure working so carefully. He wasn't the best with dishes, the cybernetic arms tended to not give him feedback on how much pressure he was applying. Early on, he used to break things accidentally left and right, but now he had a better handle on it. Even so, delicate tasks were not the best for him. Outside of personal repairs of course.

The arrival of a certain ninja fellow caught an offhand glance from Ansgar. Anti social, or at least presented the appearance of not liking to socialize, and employed some rather strange techniques. He, personally, never understood throwing pointy bits of metal at people, or carrying a sword around anymore. The sword he didn't think too much about, after all, the Crusaders used rocket powered hammers, for Gods sake, so he wouldn't begrudge the fellow his toy. The pointy metal bits though, that was definitely odd. Why not take a suppressed weapon, if he was that concerned about being quiet? Certainly far less of a tell that someone of a very specific group had arrived, really. Then again, he wasn't sent on quiet missions typically, not anymore. "Well, if it isn't the glorious ninja, decided to join us! Und ich dachte ich war niemand um mit Leuten zu sprechen..." Whether the ninja understood the German or not was, well, not a concern really. He had made his point clear before that, typically, Ansgar did not even begin to try and understand the details of how Genji operated, but he also didn't try to make him change. If he got the job done, great, that was all that mattered to the German sergeant.

Location: Overwatch Headquarters - Forks; Washington Interactions: Dr. Zeigler (@Vicier), Fareeha Amari, Erika Striker (@Kaithas), Winston (@Lmpkio), Asbjorn Hagen (@December), Văn Nguyệt (@Pirouette), Ajax Amari (@Ajax Amari), Genji (@Jacobite), Ansgar {@Eisenhorn}

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"Ah, well, it was an okay night" Lucas said in response to Angela, not wanting to mention he hadn't actually slept that night, he gave a shrug at her question, "No, just makes it a long day, is all. You really should get some sleep..." He said, with some concern and before he could say anymore, Erika had slid into the room.

Lucas was a little taken aback at being used as a steadying pole, but stood still as Erika steadied herself against him, giving her a smile. and gave a soft laugh, ”Good morning, Erika. You should be more careful, I can’t always be around to be a useful pole for you” He said, looking over as Winston entered, giving him a nod ”Good morning, Winston” he said, turning to retrieve plates for them all, he sighed as Ansger’s entered, greeting everyone by their last name, except him. It was a habit that Lucas was more than aware of, Ansgar seeming to think that, or at least to Lucas, that Lucas was an insult to the Morrison name. Perhaps it wasn’t that, yet Lucas was more than frustrated at that disrespect. While he didn’t mind being addressed by his first name, when it was in such a group of names, it was an obvious slight. He merely nodded, and returned the good morning, setting the plates down, where everyone could reach them.

He smiled at Asbjorn as he clapped his shoulder, obligingly stepping out the way so he could reached the fridge. As the steady stream of people entered, Lucas shifted to watch them all, giving Fareeha a nod, amused at their little game, noting the presence of a wolf pup as Phoebe entered the kitchen, making a note to ensure that Remus would be okay with the she-wolf pup. As Ajax entered, the young pup with him, Lucas chuckled. Ajax could almost be like a wild storm coming him, doing damage and then rushing off, but he liked the lad well enough.

He accepted the plate from Angela, giving her a smile ”Thank you, Angie.” He said, always grateful for her, watching her a moment before she moved off, he glanced to the food, keeping an eye on it as Angela went off to the blender, shifting to set his plate aside and reach for more plates to dish up food, yet Angela, on the ball as always, beat him to it. Giving her another smile, he returned to his plate, watching Angela. She was always so busy….and yet, she constantly found the time to ensure that everyone was alright, ensuring they ate, and were cared for. Even when they were young. And she had certainly been perhaps the only thing that had enabled him to keep on going, asides from the need to make sure Hana and Juliette were cared for. There were times when he didn’t know how she did it.

”You truly are a wonder, Angie” He said softly, wanting her to know that she was appreciated, that he, at least, valued her. And if everyone else knew what was good for them, they’d value her as well. He leaned back against the counter, thoughtful as he slipped his eggs and bacon between two pieces of toast, and making a sandwich, biting into it happily, enjoying the tastes, quickly eating it, he retrieved the puppy, Reeces, ”Don’t worry, Ajax, I’ll give the pup a bath, I have to give Remus one in any case, and he can keep Reeces in line for a time, if you want to get cleaned up yourself.” He said, smiling at Reeces, ”I don’t think Remus was ever as small as you” He said to the pup, remembering the wolf-dog as a puppy, he had always been...big. He held the puppy easily, Reece’s light weight almost unnoticeable.

”Thank you, Angie. It was a lovely breakfast. If you need any help, I can be free” He said, giving her another smile, he held the puppy even as Remus came in with the wolf-pup in tow, the young, injured pup favoring her hind leg, nevertheless tried to keep up with Remus, he turned around every so often, and nudged her along. Smiling, Lucas sighed softly. It seemed he didn’t need to worry about Remus harming the wolf-pup, and was quite curious to see that he was in fact protective. He watched Phoebe set her plate aside, and scoop up the wolf-pup, checking the injured leg, before looking back to Angela, amused at how she seemed to care for everyone, and do so in a way that left them no way to refuse, often finding themselves doing it before realising that she had gotten her way. He chuckled, and said ”Well, I should go get this wriggly worm washed, least he cover the base in mud” He stroked Reece’s on the head, glancing over to Ajax to make sure that that was okay.

Location: Overwatch Headquarters - Forks; Washington Interactions: Dr. Zeigler (@Vicier), Fareeha Amari, Erika Striker (@Kaithas), Winston (@Lmpkio), Asbjorn Hagen (@December), Văn Nguyệt (@Pirouette), Ajax Amari (@Ajax Amari), Genji (@Jacobite), Ansgar {@Eisenhorn}

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Fareeha shifted to let Phoebe through, once more glancing about at everyone as she sighed at Wendy’s question, coming in, in what could be a rude manner, then seemed quite disrespectful in her query of what the day would hold. She frowned at Wendy, and said, softly to the girl ”Ah, Wendy, perhaps you’d get some missions...if you adjusted your attitude” It was a warning to the girl, and one Fareeha was more than certain Wendy wouldn’t take it to heart. She shifted, moving into the room, over to Angela. She didn’t really like anyone, in any way, insinuating that Angela wasn’t doing enough. Smiling at her best friend, looking over as Ajax entered. Smiling at him, and indulging him, she patted the puppy, and happily returned the hug, being careful not to get mud on her, ”You should go get cleaned up” She said, ”He is a cute puppy, but maybe we need to get a dog bath installed to prevent messes” She said with a chuckle, looking over to Angela.

”No need to worry, Angela. I am more then happy to wait, feed the others first, I have more patience than them” She said, in a light breezy tone, moving out the way so that she wouldn’t be impeding the traffic breakfast could generate, and listened as Angela spoke. She smiled to herself. Training, teaching training, was one of her favorite things to do. You could never hone your skills too much, and impacting that into her comrades was sometimes a never ending battle, particularly with the younger ones, or those like Lucas, although he was himself a good instructor.

She flashed Ajax a smile, amused, but knowing that Ajax would...hopefully make sure that Reece’s wouldn’t mess up the base again, she had faith in her brother, but was perhaps more than a little relieved when Lucas took the pup in hand. As Genji entered, she sighed at his behaviour. While she could understand his dislike of socialisation, it was nevertheless rude to only address Angela. Leaving Genji in Angela’s hands-really, Angela was probably the only one that could handle him, she glanced over to Ansger, and rolled her eyes at him, ”Oh, don’t you worry, Ansger. My training sessions are always sensational” she said, with a nod to tell him she understand it was merely poking fun, as she moved out of the way once more.

Location: Overwatch Headquarters - Forks; Washington Interactions: Dr. Zeigler (@Vicier), Fareeha Amari, Erika Striker (@Kaithas), Winston (@Lmpkio), Asbjorn Hagen (@December), Văn Nguyệt (@Pirouette), Ajax Amari (@Ajax Amari), Genji (@Jacobite), Ansgar {@Eisenhorn}

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Phoebe watched everyone in the room, trying to stay out of everyone's way, she watched as the muddy Ajax and Reese's came in, greeting Farehea and everyone else. Silent, Phoebe prefered to watch, although at times it did worry her at times the way she could so easily be overlooked. Was she that much of a wall flower? thinking on that for a time, Phoebe glanced down at her hands, troubled by it. She wasn’t one, really, to step out on a limb and be noticed, but still, it might be nice to be...seen. She sighed softly to herself, She looked up as Angela started to speak to her, the doctor changing mid sentence to address Ajax, and Phoebe sighed once more, looking over to Orana, seeing that the wolf-pup was happily munching away, chasing the bowl across the room, under, it seemed, the watchful gaze of the wolf-dog Remus. She smiled at that, glad the older dog was keeping an eye on the wolf-pup, deciding that the wolfdog was well suited to the task, he had that sort of easy temperament, a testament to how Lucas had raised him.

”I...yes. I found the wolf-pup hurt...and had to take her in...I want to try and release her when she’s healed, and old enough, if I can’t find her mother’ she said softly, leaning down to pick up the wolf-pup when Orana trotted in after Remus, smiling, and gently examining the injured leg to make sure she hadn’t popped any stitches or made anything worse, yet Orana seemed to know not to strain the leg, ”Smart puppy” she said softly to her, putting Orana back down gently, to accept the plate from Angela, nevertheless watching Orana, to make sure the wolf-pup would be alright.

She went ot speak up, to say that she would do the dishes and cleaning up, when Winston beat her to it. Hesitating, Phoebe looked over to him, ”Really, I’m more then happy to do it, Winston Sir, I only have Orana as a charge today, everyone else is healthy, and she seems to be quite energetic, so I’m not really concerned about her injury...or I can help” She said, wanting to be useful, but not wanting to overstep her bounds or insult Winston. Yet it seemed like Winston was on the ball, and she stepped back, sighing softly to herself, returning to her breakfast once more.

Location: Fawkes Family Home - Junkertown; Australia.
Interacting With: Raelene Fawkes @Vicier

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Jamison sighed as it seemed that Raelene wasn’t going to answer him. Worried that she was mad at him, for being gone so long this time, he stood there a moment, before he moved into action, never one to stand still. Or think things through, as he went to make his way inside, intending to make it impossible for Raelene to ignore him, heading inside, it soon became apparent that Raelene was...occupied. Of course, that might have been better to know that before he went barging in on Raelene and Jaidyn, ”Rae Ra-OH, hehe, G’day, Jai! Well” Jamison chuckled, the scene not one he hadn’t walked in on before. In fact, he’d quite regularly walked in on this sort of thing before.

You’d think he’d learn how to knock. But no.

He chuckled again, ”Ah, take ya time, kids, take ya time! I’ll just be in the other room” He said, moving out of the room, unconcerned with his cousin, barely legal, having sexual relations. Besides, he knew Jaidyn. The guy could be a hot head-he’d be boring if he wasn’t-but he wouldn’t willingly hurt Raelene. And Raelene could protect herself. Although he’d be there to step in, if need be. Content to wait, Jamison flopped down on the couch, chucking his legs up over the edge of the couch, stretched out to his full height, he chuckled as he pulled an explosive from between the cushion seats, ”Ah, that’s my girl” He said, pleased, rolling the bombs between his hands.

Maybe he should try and return more often. he leaned back, throwing the explosive up in the air, and catching it. He frowned, a somewhat troubling thought crossing his mind. He threw the explosive again, not at all worried that it would explode, knowing his handy work wasn’t quite so dismal, and that Raelene wouldn’t make an inferior product either. He had taught her, after all. He rolled it in his hands once more, kicking up his legs, shifting slightly, one stretched out, the other hooked over it, as he rested on his side, leaning his head on his hand, his arm bent up so that he was supporting himself on his elbow.

Maybe that was the problem...He sighed softly, the serious thoughts dragging him down as he waited for Raelene to not be occupied.

Interacting with: Peacere @Kaithas, Sombra @MiddleEarthRoze Sampson @Tominas, scorn @Argetlam350

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Ceri grinned at Peacere, and swallowed a mouthful of egg, ”No I won’t, trust me” she said, balancing the plate easily, even as she moved, although she did pause for a moment, before giggling and shoving more egg into her mouth. She giggled as the dog sniffed at her, and crouched, maintaining her hold on the plate, even as she offered some to the dog, happily scooping a bit into her hand for the dog to take, looking up at the stranger, who she thought the dog belong to. He seemed to be studying them. Not that she really cared. She knew she was an enigma, at least before coming to the base. Even she didn’t know her history, not that she tried hard. All that she knew was of a dark, cold room. Pain. Hunger and fear. She didn’t like to think on that. So she patted the dog, unafraid of him, but kept the eggs out of his reach.

She was, after all, hungry.

She looked up as the stranger addressed her, standing up, she smiled brightly, ”Ceri, yes. And you are?” She asked, even as she turned to the kitchen ”I like your dog, the kitchen’s this way” She said, happily skipping off to the kitchen, balancing the plate and not spilling anything as she shoveled more egg into her mouth. She frowned at Scorn,as the girl tried to take over the situation, shaking her head and skipping off again.

She bounded into the kitchen, setting her now empty plate down and happily patting her stomach, bouncing over to fill up the sink to wash her dish, she left it running even as she bounded off the the fridge, taking out juice and a bar of chocolate, she filled up a large glass with juice, putting it away and opening the chocolate, she bounced over to the sink again, turning the taps off just as it threatened to overflow, giggling to herself and slipping her dish into it, she drained her juice in a few seconds, biting into the chocolate bar afterwards, before plunging her hand into the water and washing the dish, somehow managing not to get water everywhere, twirling to face everyone that had followed her to the kitchen, ”The heart of every home, business and place-the kitchen” she said with a giggle.

Location: Kitchen: Overwatch HQ: Forks, Washington
Interacting with:Dr. Zeigler (@Vicier), Fareeha Amari (@Caits), Erika Striker (@Kaithas), Winston (@Lmpkio), Asbjorn Hagen (@December), Văn Nguyệt (@Pirouette), Genji (@Jacobite), Phoebe Zhou Ansgar {@Eisenhorn}

“..I swear to you, if that dog gets mud all over the base, and on my couches again, Ajax Amari; I will personally hold you responsible, and you shall be cleaning it along with the entirety of the storage warehouse…”

"oh c'mon Angie, you know I will make sure he doesn't." He smiled politely at her knowing she meant well and she worked hard for everyone, he never liked making her work harder than she already did. When Genji mentioned assignments though, Ajax perked right up paying attention. Assignments??? Like mission assignments!? Can I have one please!

"Ohhh boy. You might wanna have him be left outside in the back for awhile till he dries off. You wouldn't want to see her angry really...And to think I'm bad when I'm mad..." Ajax turned to Winston at hearing this and has a mischievous grin on his face "yea I know I know, after all...I've probably seen it more times than anyone else here if we are being honest." Ajax pauses for a bit and reflects back to the multiple times Angela has scolded Ajax like a child a fakes a shudder. "Yes, I am forever scarred by her "harsh" punishments. I think I need a therapist now because of it." He says all this sarcastically and with a grin on his face.

”Don’t worry, Ajax, I’ll give the pup a bath, I have to give Remus one in any case, and he can keep Reeses in line for a time, if you want to get cleaned up yourself.”

Ajax sat down and eagerly start to eat the food which he always found delicious when cooked by Angela. He then turned to Lucas "that would be awesome Lucas! I would very much appreciate it. You're the best....well...behind Fareeha, Ana, and Angie of course. As soon as Lucas picked up Reeses the dog licked his face happily which made Ajax laugh. Until Ajax noticed one terrible thing...his dog's tail. Reeses, as happy as he was, wagged his tail incredibly fast. Due to his tail swinging all over the mud that was on it splattered everywhere. "Welp, there goes my chance at a mission assignment or anything besides cleaning for the rest of the day..." Ajax simply sighed, accepting his fate, hanging his head, and without a word went to go get some cleaning supplies. He knew he had a full day of cleaning ahead of him, better start now. He figured maybe if he worked hard enough he would have some time to himself later to train or have some fun, which wasn't to easy for him as of late.

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Her soft pink lips parting ever so slightly, Juliette allowed her beautiful blue orbs to flutter to a close, her touch gentle as they glided over the ivory keys of the piano, filling the music room she sat in with the sweet melody she had been practicing now ever since her brother had bought her the new score book: Les Misérables. The composition… it was remarkable; so moving, and it seemed to fill her very being straight from the core from the very moment she had first listened to the musical’s soundtrack with Athena.

This was what she loved; what she lived for- the music… it was one of the only ways that she had ever really been able to express herself to those around her… and oftentimes, it was her only means of escape from the stresses of everyday life. Taking a few moments longer to just listen to what she was playing, before she allowed her eyes to open once more, the small smile playing over her lips growing as she returned her mind back to the grand piano that she was sat at, her ever unseeing eyes watching on as her hands continued to move over the keys in front of her, the already graceful melody she had been playing changing ever slightly as she began to sing, her soft though enchanting voice floating up into the air to fill the room.

“..I dreamed a dream in time gone by… when hope was high, and life worth living… I dreamed that love would never die; I dreamed that God would be forgiving…” Pausing for a moment, she took a small breath, her head tilting lightly to the right causing some of her long and wavy blonde locks to fall forward, resting gently over her shoulder as she leant forward, her foot pressing down softly upon the peddles every now and then as the song called for it.

“..then I was young and unafraid; and dreams were made, and used, and wasted… There was no ransom to be paid; no song unsung, no wine untasted…” Her voice seemed to trail off… her brows furrowing together slightly as she concentrated further on what she was playing, her voice growing slightly stronger… more confident as the tune grew a hint darker; slightly ominous in succession when in comparison to its main progression, “..but the tigers come at night.”

“..but the tigers come at night…”

“With their voices soft, as thunder…” Unable to help the smile that played over her lips as she heard the familiar voice joining her, Juliette lifted her head up, her heart feeling as though it was swelling within the very confines of her chest as she went with it, truly not bothered by the fact that Athena was singing along, “As they tear your hopes apart.”

“..as they tear your hope apart…”

“As they turn your dreams, to shame…”

Shaking her head lightly, she once more returned to the original progression; this time playing a bit louder… with more confidence as the music began to build, her voice projecting that as her smile grew, her emotion pouring into the words just as she had always been told to do… something that just felt so right; so natural to do, “And still I dream he’ll come to me; that we would live the years together… But there are dreams that cannot be- and there are storms we cannot weather…”

Pausing her words a moment, Juliette to the chance to breath, filling her diaphragm with air before she continued on, her voice blending with the AI as they drew ever closer towards the very end of the song, “I had a dream my life would be… so different from this hell I’m living- so different now from what it seemed-…”

Allowing the lyrics to hang within the air a moment, she dropped her gaze once more down to the keys, the gentle tune she had been carrying now trailing lightly off into almost nothing as she began to play softer… slower… bringing the song to a close, “..now life has killed the dream… I dreamed…”

Waiting a few moments longer once her hands had come to a complete stop upon the keys, Juliette let them slip, bringing both together within her lap as she smiled down at the piano for only a short spell before she reached forward, her ankles crossing underneath her as the very tips of her fingers glided over the score sheets, the soft little bumps of the Braille notes letting her know she had found them before she gathered them up neatly, being sure to put them in the correct order before placing them in a neat pile on the top of the polished piano rather than the score stand.

“Nicely done; I see you have been practicing, Juliette. With just a little more work, I believe you will perfect it as you have everything else you have poured your heart into.”

Unable to help the gentle blush that crossed over her cheeks, she shook her head, her long blonde locks bouncing lightly over her back with the action- the only reason she was good at the other songs she knew was because she worked hard at them; practicing for hours at a time, each and every day… it was because of her love for music, and a lot of her brother’s time spent nagging at Angela, that this room even existed, “..Athena… do you really think it was that good..?”

“Of course; and I’m sure if you ask your brother, he will agree with me. Speaking of Lucas; he wished for me to remind you of your appointment with Angela today. Please, try not to forget like you did last time, Juliette.”

“O-Okay… please remind me when the time gets closer…”

Not particularly sure what else there was to say, Juliette once more let her attention fall down to the piano, waiting until all thoughts had escaped her mind before she replaced her hands upon the keys, a gentle and content sigh slipping out through her lips as she let her fingers dance gracefully over the ivory once again, the new melody different to the last… slightly more classical than the last… and while it filled the room, unbeknownst to her, it also floated out the door and into the hallway for all and any to hear…

The halls of the ancient stronghold were quiet, as always, but the winter chill that had permeated the corridors and rooms for months now seemed to be lifting. Slowly, the Spring was creeping into the castle and the house's first son could no be gladder. Shimada Hanzo, heir of Japan's foremost criminal empire, detested the cold and found the winter months the most trying of the year. The frost made footing difficult when fighting outside, the cold air messed with his bow string and generally interrupted his favourite activities.

The slight smile that played across his stern lips, however, had little to do with the approaching Spring. He had heard from a contact at the airport that the Shimada family's private jet was being prepped for takeoff and word on the tarmac was that it would be flying to America within a few hours. As no one in Hanamura was stupid enough to attempt to steal a plane from the Shimadas, Hanzo could only conclude that he was to be dispatched to the States in order to visit his wayward younger brother, Genji. And if anything would make him smile, it was the prospect of seeing his younger sibling again.

Of course, the prospect of talking to his father would wipe it right off again. He stood now in front of the doors to the main hall of the castle, where all official or ceremonial business was conducted. Never mind that it had two large doors that were almost always kept open no matter the season and that it was cold on the best of days. With a sigh, Hanzo slid open the door in front of him and walked towards the solitary figure sitting in the centre of the room, below the Sword Banner. The old man didn't look up from his writing until Hanzo had settled in front of him on the floor.

「島田家の繁栄が最優先事項ではないのか？」 he said, setting aside his brush.

Were he less experienced in his father's roundabout manner and riddling way of expression, Hanzo would have frowned. As it was, he knew that the other man wanted something from him and planned to make it seem like Hanzo had no choice but to give it to him. He answered impassively. 「そうであろう。」

「武士道や名誉、他の忠誠心や法律に逆らってもか？」

「無論。拙者は我が一族のために全てを投げ捨てたことは父上も存じ上げてるはず。」 This seemed safe to admit, as Genichi knew it full well.

「よろしい、了解を心得てうれしい限りじゃ。お前に託す任務はアメリカに行き、お前のわがままな弟を連れて帰ること。もし断られたら・・・」 he seemed to pause, almost relishing the words... 「島田家を尊重すること。」

And there it was. Hanzo knew that time and the loss of his wife had made the patriarch of the clan harder than he had been in years gone past but to imply this, he must be further than any had predicted. And his satisfaction in giving the command was not only unseemly, it suggested he had been anticipating this for some time and had thought it all out. He must know how much this order would cost the clan, the world and most importantly, Hanzo himself.

「そして・・・拙者の腕が誤れば？」

「ならばお前は大切な時期に我が一族を為損ったことになる。我が息子よ、これ以上重要な任務はない。これは我が家の未来、我が家の伝来、そして我が家の伝説である。成功すれば我らは繁栄する。失敗すれば我が家に何千年も続いた伝統は崩れ落ちるだろう。任せたぞ。」 As if to indicate he was to have the final word, Genichi picked up his brush once more and continued as if her were alone and without a care in the world.

As Hanzo stood, he realised that his father was exactly as carefree as he appeared. After all, he had made his decision and relayed the command. All of those cares, those responsibilities and questions were now passed on to the man to carry out the mission. And he could feel them, pressing down on his shoulders and chest like heavy weights.

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“..moods dead..?”

“Ya fuckin’ think..?” Rolling her eyes as Jaidyn decided to state the obvious, Raelene pulled herself away from him, her feet once more hitting the ground and the sheet falling from around her body as she began to walk away, frustration clear upon her features as she snatched up her clothes, pulling them onto her person as she turned back around to face him, her eyes meeting with his as she motioned over to him, “Hang round if ya want, but I doubt I’ll be back.”

“Think I’ll head out once I get me clothes on. Head round later if ya still in the mood.”

Doing the button of her black denim shorts up, she paused, staring at him for a good few moments before she nodded her head, crossing back over to him and pressing a quick kiss to his lips before she turned away again, pulling her singlet top on over her body, “May; may not. Depends on what cus has ta say ta me.”

Moving out of the bedroom, she glanced around, her hands both slipping down into the pockets of her jeans, her lazily glancing about the room until they came to a complete stop once they fell on her cousin’s figure lounging on the couch, the sight of him playing with the bomb she thought she had lost a few days ago causing a small smirk to play over her lips, “Oi; ya found it. Been lookin’ everywhere for that one- she’s a beaut ain’t she..? Me best yet.”

Jamison looked up as Raelene entered, grinning, ”Did ya tucker him out already, Rae Rae?” He said, cackling and sitting up, he threw the bomb to her, ”Tricky little buggas, they like ta roll away an hide in uncanny places” he said, rising with a slight bounce and going over to Raelene, throwing his arms around her, ”Aye, tis a good one” He said cheerfully, before stepping back, to study her.

”How ya’ doin’ Rae Rae? It seems like forever” He said regretfully, vowing to try and make sure he’d be around more. ”I missed ya” He said, genuinely. He knew a lot of people thought he was...heartless and didn’t care about anyone other than himself, but for Raelene and Mako...he’d do anything. ”Ya didn’t hafta stop ya fun just cause I’m here, ya know”

“Eh… he’ll get over it.” Shrugging her shoulders as she felt him pulling out of the hug, Raelene let her gaze drop down to the bomb now resting in her hand, her fingers twisting the orb round slightly before she threw it to the side, once more letting it fall onto the couch where it would no doubt be lost again for the next few days at least, “..’sides… I’ll jus’ pay him a lil visit later if the urge ta scratch comes back.”

Turning her attention back to him, she hesitated, staring at him for what felt like the longest of times before she closed the gap, wrapping her arms tightly around the back of his neck as she finally began answering his questions, “..I missed ya too cus… and ya been gone too long; or least long enough for me ta get in trouble with the pigs in blue. Thanks ta the fuckin’ porkers, got a price on me head…”

Jamison frowned as she told him how she’d run into trouble, he’d left her in the hands of Mako, he should have made sure it didn’t happen. ”Ya got ya self a bounty?” He was troubled at that, on the one hand, he himself couldn’t speak out about getting a price on one's head, on the other, he should have been there to make sure it didn’t happen. It was an odd mix.

”Well, maybe I should stick about a bit, make sure the coppers won’t bother ya” He said, ”Can’t have ya in trouble now, can I?” he smiled again, hugging her once more, ”Sometimes I forget how much ya have grown” He gave a chuckle, pulling back to look at her, ”Ya price better not be higher than mine, Rae Rae”

“Nah; ain’t as high as the one on ya head, but decent enough.” Chuckling softly to herself at the thought of accumulating a bounty higher than her cousin’s, Raelene once more returned her hands to her pockets, a gentle scratch at her leg causing her to drop her attention down to the young koala that had begun to climb, his claws digging into her skin though she was used to it enough that it no longer bothered her.

“Cops couldn’ catch a fuckin’ cold even if they tried, ya know that.” Rolling her eyes, she shook her head lightly, her hand lifting out of her pocket as the koala reached her hip, using it to help the animal up and onto her shoulder, “..but it’d be nice of ya ta stick about for a bit… need ya ta have a look at me arm… think I screwed somthin’ up the other week…”

Jamison chuckled, reaching out to stroke the Koala, unafraid of being hurt, ”Aye, but they get lucky every so often, Rae Rae” He said, shaking his head at the ineptness of the boys in blue, and sighing, but he soon had a smile for Raelene once more.

”Ya arm? Whatcha do ta it? I can have a gander at it, probably due for a tune up anyway” he said cheerfully, always happy to do anything he could.

Hesitating slightly at the question, Raelene shifted over the spot she stood, wondering whether or not to tell him the truth about what happened, but then again, they did live in a community of liars, thieves, scavengers, murderers and backstabbers… if she didn’t tell him; he was going to find out on his own sooner or later…

“..got thrown from the tray of the ute on the way back from the Gold Coast…” Wincing slightly as she spoke, she let her gaze once more meet with his own, doing what she could to distinguish the thoughts going on in his mind as she continued to explain what happened, “..went up ta have a bit of fun; ya know, the theme parks ain’t that bad- with the roller coasters and that… got a heap of shit too. Anyway… once we hit the back roads home; well, ya know how it is… hit the gas, hoon round a bit… next thing I know, I was fuckin’ hittin’ the ground, an rollin’ inta a ditch on the side of the road…”

Jamison watched Raelene, finding himself torn between pride and worry. He’d done worse- although he was sure that some people would use the argument that he therefore had the right to tell her not to do such things, but Jamison wasn’t other people. He waited for Raelene to finish speaking, ”What have I told ya, Rae Rae? Don’t hoon round unless ya safe in the cab, ah, but then, we’re use ta flying about” he chuckled at himself, and shaking his head, said ”Well, I’ll take a look see at it later, better ya arm then ya head” He grinned.

”Aw, Rae Rae, were ya fearful of telling me? Blimey, am I that scary?”

Shrugging her shoulders lightly in answer to the question, ever careful of the koala clinging onto her, Raelene let her body fall back, pressing up against the wall behind her as she let her bright blue eyes wander off to the side and down to the floor beside them, “..ya can be; when ya pissed enough…”

Hesitating a few moments longer, she eventually lifted her head back up, her gaze once more meeting with his own knowing that once she mentioned the rest of it, he was either going to blow up in her face in anger… or laughter… either way she was going to get a scalding, the severity of which; well, only time was going to tell, “..guessin’ ya ain’t seen Mako yet; else ya’d know everythin’ that happened- well, he didn’ really give his okay… was more like, he said no; so I went anyway…”

Jamieson frowned as Raelene continued her tale, ”I wanted ta see ya first…” He trailed off, and sighed. He should have come back sooner, ”Ya disobeyed Mako? He just wants what's best for ya, same as me. Ya can’t just ignore what he says” Jamison wasn’t made to scold, breaking rules was what he did, and while he wanted to be able to pass things onto Raelene, he didn’t want her to have quite the same life as him.

”Maybe it’s my fault, should be around more. We’re family, an’ family’s gotta stick together” his tone and expression were serious, an odd combination for the normally chaotic junker, yet it was something he’d been thinking off, for some time.

“..but I wanna have fun..!” Her soft pink lips parting slightly, Raelene stared back at him, her eyes flicking back and forth between his as she tried to push across her point of view so that, just maybe, he might understand how she was feeling, “..I wanna go out with me mates- I wanna get pissed, an get inta trouble, and have a good fuckin’ time…”

“We do what we want- it’s who we are..! I mean, we’re fuckin’ Junker’s for cryin’ out loud…” Shaking her head lightly from side to side, she slumped slightly, the sudden jostle causing the koala to tighten its hold over her, “..of all people; thought at least ya’d understand how I feel…”

Jamison gave a frustrated sigh “I know ya do, and I do understand, but… I don' wan’ ya ta… ta end up like me!” He glanced away, shifting back onto his good leg. “I wan’ ya ta be able ta follow ya dreams, an’ be what ya wan’ ta be, not stuck here cause of a bounty, or no other options. I wan’ ya ta be… happy” he sighed again, looking to her ”I wan’ ya ta… have prospects!”

He looked to her, ”Fun is good, but we don’ hafta be jus’ Junkers, Rae Rae. ‘Sides, there's always fun no matter what!” he said with his typical cackle, ”Now, let me have a look at that arm” he said softly, wanting the subject changed or rather, needing the change.