'Yes, dear...' was Evan's mental response to Hunt's instructions. Come on, what were they? Children? A brief look around the squad confirmed that yes, some of the younger members might indeed be considered kids (although not by much). Yeah,... maybe some of them actually needed this advice. At least the lecture didn't go too long, and soon he would be free to finally get some rest-"Will you help me with my shopping and keep nice ladies like us company?"

Damn it...

"Now why would you want me to tag along. Come on, let the old man rest." Evan offered half-hearted resistance to the request, though that was quickly worn away by some additional pleading, puppy dog eyes and smiling. Not for the first time in his life, he cursed his inability to say no to women, half his age or not. "Alright, Alright, Fiiiiine... Where are we going?"


Lilly nodded along with the briefing James gave the squad, before dismissing them, but was at a bit of a loss for what to do. Milling about the lobby, she heard Miss Reinhardt and Miss Vogel planning a shopping trip with a slightly displeased sounding Mr. Carn. Ordinarily, she would have been jumped at the opportunity to join them, but she had prior commitments. Clutching her purse tight to her, she waited in one of the corners of the lobby. She and James had a date (if it could even be called that) to explore the city together.

Several things were on Ezekiel's mind. On the contrary to what he'd usually be like, he kept to himself for the duration of the train ride to Randgriz, opting to take in the scenery. When it arrived, he got off, and got settled into the hotel that Cpl. Hunt had arranged everyone to stay at while they were in the city. In that time however, he'd been thinking about how exactly he could pass the time. On the one hand, Ezekiel really needed to buy some more clothes. He only had everything he was currently wearing as his civilian clothing and a few changes of underwear, and it'd look awkward for him to be forced into his military uniform just so he could do some laundry. But on the other hand, he'd been thinking about seeing Solomon's grave one last time, and wondered if the respective cemetery was still there.

Ezekiel dug one hand into one pocket for his wallet and opened it up in any case, and counted the notes and coins that he had stashed inside whilst no-one was looking. 3000 Ducats. It may have looked like a lot on the surface, but that supply could be extinguished in one fell swoop if he wasn't careful. Even worse, this was the kind of money Ezekiel had to live on back home, him having to survive for weeks at a time. He put everything back in his wallet, which he stuffed into his pocket again as he walked out into the main lobby.

It was here that he noticed a girl that he could've sworn he never seen before, addressing Cpl. Hunt himself. Evidently in her military garb as well. Was she supposed to a new recruit that Ezekiel didn't know about? And furthermore, wouldn't it make more sense to adopt civilian clothing like everyone else had? He wondered about this chance encounter... but shrugged it off nonetheless, as he turned to the squadmates that were there talking among themselves or whatever they were doing.

"So... does anyone here happen to know a good place to buy clothing, by any chance?" Ezekiel asked, as though it were out of curiosity, "It's been over a year since I last paid a visit to Randgriz, and I don't have a hell of a lot of money on me."

After dismissing everyone, James had been about to go and ask Lily if she was ready to go when a Lancer, with all her gear and in uniform at that, approached him and asked if he was the corporal she was looking for. Sighing and mentally cursing the ineptitude of the militia's assignment system, he nods. "I am indeed, Private. I take it you're a late transfer militia command forgot to mention before we left? Ah, nevermind, doesn't matter now. Here." He handed her the door key to one of the empty rooms that was amongst the other women in the squad. "Get changed, and enjoy the time you get before we hit the front again. Dismissed." Once the Lancer had gone, James approached Lily. "Right, with that out of the way, you ready to explore the city?"

Eris took a moment to look around, before replying. "Well, I guess that I can help you all with that. I know some really nice stores around the downtown. We should be able to get some nice clothes for those who want and then, I can show you my favorite place to lunch from back when I was at the Randgriz University," Eris said to Linda, Ezekiel and Evan before scuttling closer to the latter.

"Don't worry, I'll pay for your lunch, as payback for your trouble," Eris said clutching Evan's arm, unwittingly pushing it against her chest. "How about we make a bet? If you don't like it today, I'll take care of maintenance for a whole month. If you do, you're going to foot the bill of our next Squad outing," she added before flashing her best disarming towards Evan.

Sincerely, Eris wondered if she had gone too far, but was easy to get swept by excitement when the mood was that good. At the very least she hoped that she hadn't rubbed Evan the wrong way by being too clingy out of the blue.

The last thing on Eris' mind was the possibility of anyone could misunderstand her intentions.

Lilly smiled and nodded when James asked if she was ready to go. "That I am, though I neglected to bring much in the way of funds with me. We will have to stop at a bank along the way." After motioning for him to lead the way, Lilly followed beside him, keeping unusually close to the man who was her Corporal, her friend, and her... Well, things hadn't progressed that far yet. Still, the brief thought of such a thing was enough to make Lilly's face explode into a blush. "I-It certainly is a nice day out... Randgriz is indeed fortunate that the war hasn't pushed any closer. It seems like most people are still able to carry on with their daily lives." At first Lilly was scrambling for a topic, something, anything to get her mind thinking in a different direction, but as she spoke she composed herself and began to relax a bit. Looking around and watching children play in the streets or civilians going about their day to day life brought a smile to her face. This was what she was fighting to protect.

When they arrived at a bank, Lilly turned to address her companion before walking in. "Please wait here, James, I'll be back in a moment." It was easy to see why she would say this, after she talked to one of the tellers. Upon identifying herself and had her account looked up, the teller stepped away for a moment. When she came back, she was accompanied by the bank manager and several other executives who escorted Lilly into a back room, where they spent the next 20 minutes plying her with offers for investments, financial advisers, and portfolio suggestions. Having learned long ago that fighting the vultures tended to take even longer than simply playing along, Lilly smiled, nodded and feigned interest as the men delivered their sales pitches to what they thought was a young woman with more money than sense. No one expected that her father would have been grooming a woman (even if it was his daughter) as the heir to the Jatmoore Arms company. What they didn't know was that she had been educated exceptionally well in matters of business and finance. "I see... Your offers interest me, though I am not in a position to take you up on them at this moment. Would it be alright if I contacted you sometime during the week to continue our discussion?" The bankers enthusiastically agreed and Lilly, knowing that she would be far away from the city by then, thanked them for their time and continued about the business of withdrawing money from her account.

When she finally emerged from the bank (with a much fuller looking purse), Lilly bowed to James and apologized. "I am sorry that I took so long, James, but I think we can begin our explorations in earnest now. You weren't bored, were you?"


"Girl, I'm like... twice your age. I probably know your mother." Lilly was not the only one blushing today, as Evan looked up and away from the woman currently clinging to and squashing her assets against his arm. "Fine, sure. I accept your bet, but... Look, you're a nice girl and all but you gotta get off." Carefree as Evan was, even he noticed that people were starting to stare. The last thing he needed was to be branded as the squad creep. After shaking the barnacle off his arm, he shrugged and addressed the group. "Alright, well... where are we going?"

When Lily had asked James to wait outside the bank, he had certainly been confused, but she was already inside the door before he could ask why, so, with a sigh, he settled up against the wall by the door to wait. As he did so, he watched some kids across the street playing on the playground, a sight which brought a smile to his face. So much had been affected by the war despite the Army's best attempts to slow the Imperials down. And then there was that artillery they'd encountered after Vasel, which had seemed to turn Ragnaid, perhaps one of the greatest healing substances known to man, into a weapon that melted through tank armor like it was nothing.

It made the Corporal wonder what other new weapons the Imperials were willing to bring to the battlefield to invade a country that had done them no wrong before the war just to make sure they WON. The things James imagined were gruesome to say the least, and as a result of being caught up in his imaginings, he jumped when Lily came back and apologized. "Oh no, you're fine. Had plenty to think about while you were in there, so I wasn't bored. Where to first then?"

---

Linda did not mind the tag-along that would be Ezekial on their trip with Evan. She was even more ecstatic when she successfully brought Evan into the fold with her feminine wiles. What she did mind, however, was what came after Ezekial decided to tag along. Eris seemed to have plans to tease Evan today, for her chest was in a very.... Linda did not want to even think about it. Her face was already very red just by watching this turn of events. "That's.... uh interesting? This is how all city girls act?" was all that Linda could say out loud, directed to no one in particular. Inside Linda could not help but to feel a little jealous for both Eris and Evan, but Linda did not allow them to develop into anything more. Jealousy was bad; she will not allow it to flourish!

Linda almost breathed a sigh of relief when Evan finally shook off the teacher from his arm. She was glad that it was possibly not going to get any worse, but she did think about Eris's bet. She wanted Evan to enjoy being with them as well. As for the question of where they could go... "So uh, how about we go shopping for clothes first? Get the little necessities out of the way?" Linda suggested, moving her hands as she spoke to reinforce her delivery.

"ATTENTION!" Understandably twitchy from the knowledge that a noble was running the show, the door guard called the analysts to attention the minute he spotted Lord Barst striding towards the office's main room. "At ease, at ease. I won't be here for long." While he did appreciate the formality, Barst was not a fan of it when he felt that it interfered with more important things, like his subordinates' ability to work. Moving quickly from desk to desk, he picked up the reports prepared by his analysts, skimming through them as he walked. Most of this was run of the mill stuff, troop movements, suspected supply caches, scout activity, etc, things that, while interesting, could be left to his subordinates to disseminate to the army. The last report, though, caught his attention. It detailed strange activity in Randgriz, and suspected espionage or sabotage as the root of it.

"Jackson, are these incidents related to the ones we got earlier in the month?" "Yes, my Lord." The analyst in question quickly stood up and hustled over to Barst, pointing out different figures in the report his had written. "Soldiers getting followed, missing ammunition, offices being rummaged through... It's the same as before. We thought we chased off the spy last time, but it seems who ever was behind this has stepped up their activities again." This remark caused Barst to scowl as he read over the report in more detail. "Damn... This is something I would like to handle personally, but apparently the generals want me to help lead a unit in Vasel... Hmm..." Looking at the map, he pointed to a cluster of points marked on it. "These incidents are mostly centered around the city walls and palace... They're probably scoping out the palace guard..." After he finished reading, he nodded to Lt. Jackson. "Good work, Lieutenant. Dispatch one of our spies to the city to investigate. Once I return from the battle for Vasel, I'll bring more manpower to deal with this." With that, the two saluted and parted ways.


The bar was completely empty at 8am. Indeed, it actually wasn't supposed to be open at all, but Christian (not his real name) knew the owner and managed to pull some strings. Lounging at the bar, he slowly nursed his whisky and passed the time by watching the townsfolk wander past. Lord Barst, or rather one of his subordinates, had contacted Christian two weeks ago about uncovering a spy ring in the capital. An unusual choice maybe, but despite his drinking habits, Christian was actually extremely good at his job. Over the last two weeks, he had snooped, stalked, and interrogated witnesses leading to his current situation: having narrowed down the list of suspects to a group of 6 men. Now he just had to wait for his 'reinforcements' to arrive so he could move against them properly.

Corporal Hunt and Militia Squad 4... Chris had been given a copy of the letter Lord Barst delivered to them. "Gather the squad and meet at the East Street Tavern at 0830hrs. Contact 'Christian Dahl' there, for your next assignment. Arrive in groups of three or less at a time. Burn after reading." Pretty standard fare for spy work. The squad had apparently been sent into the city as soldiers on leave yesterday, but today they were going to get down to work. Ordering another glass of whiskey from a very disapproving looking bar tender, he continued to twiddle his thumbs and wait. Only a half hour until he could chew their asses out for being late and wasting his time.

"Well, I guess that I can help you all with that. I know some really nice stores around the downtown. We should be able to get some nice clothes for those who want and then, I can show you my favorite place to lunch from back when I was at the Randgriz University,"

"Sounds like a plan," Ezekiel stated, a little excited about today all of a sudden. And then all of a sudden he noted that the girl who said that had pressed those nice, big, meaty chesticles on the older guy's arm. Ezekiel couldn't help but blush at the sight of this; it was a valiant effort on his part to keep those hormones of his under control, but still...

'Daww, if only I had those on me instead...' he rubbed the back of his head in innocence as this came across his mind. It was a good thing he hadn't considered saying it out loud, though. Ezekiel would've easily taken a bitch slap to the face if he did... and from either one of his newfound female companions as well, if not both. In any case, the older guy eventually wrested his arm away, at which point the blush on Ezekiel's face diminished. Though that got him thinking.

"Hey, um... there's somewhere I wanna visit some time while we're out," Ezekiel addressed the bustier girl specifically, "Do they still have that cemetery where the soldiers that died in the last Gallian War were supposed to be buried?"

"Well I'm glad that I did not inconvenience you too much." Lilly's expression shifted to that of a girl who was deep in thought when asked about where the two should go. She had never been to the city before for more than a day, and it was never for pleasure, just business. "Hmmm... I must admit I am at a bit of a loss for ideas. A large city like this must have lots to do, shouldn't it? Perhaps a theater or maybe a cinema? I'm told that the palace is a popular destination that tourists tend to flock to." She straightened up and smiled at him, a slight twinkle in her eyes. Despite her original nervousness, it was clear that she was excited for this. "I feel like you would have a better idea of what wonders a city may hold than I. I shall cede the decision to you. I am sure what ever you pick will not disappoint us." James was caught off guard by the statement and as a result, it took him a moment to respond. Unfortunately, that moment was all his stomach needed to growl loudly enough for them both to hear and James smiled apologetically.

"Guess we should find some food then. Maybe hit a movie afterwords?" This went against all kinds of military protocol, being her superior officer amongst other issues, but he didn't really care right then.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea." Lilly covered her mouth as she stifled a giggle brought forth from the idea that James' stomach was actually the one making the decisions here. She was getting a bit peckish as well, and a bite to eat would do well before they headed off into the city.

The cafe that they ended up at was certainly nice enough, though a bit on the expensive side due to being in the largest city in Gallia. Said costs were further increased once Lilly discovered they had a wine menu. A wine lover herself, she ended up ordering a glass or two of one of the most expensive wines on the menu for the both of them. Indeed, this would probably have left James' wallet screaming for mercy had it not been for the fact that Lilly insisted on paying for her half as well as the drinks (they were her idea after all). "Mhm, that was quite good. The chefs certainly know their way around the kitchen, even for a simple sandwich." Lilly remarked between napkin pats on her cheeks. "I trust you found your food to taste as well?" James nodded, wiping away the last of sauce with a napkin.

"It was good. Definitely better than what we usually get in rations or the mess hall back at Fort Breda. Ready for the movie or perhaps some exploring first?" He'd appreciated the wine and definitely would be coming back after the war, but he wasn't sure he'd have been able to come alone. The waiter kept looking at him like he was some kind of criminal.

"While I do not wish to slander the Sergeant's cooking, I must say I agree." Lilly nodded knowingly, but paused when she was asked about what to do next. She had never been to a movie theater before, and didn't know how the show schedules worked. "Hmm... What time are movies usually held at? We could always explore until a show is about to start." James realized he wasn't overly familiar with the show times either and gave a sigh.

"You know, unexpected leave time is as much curse as blessing. I don't know them either, or even what's showing. Perhaps we could go see what there is and what time they show and pick one?"

"That sounds like a good idea. Shall we be off then?" Lilly retrieved some money from her purse, and after sliding her half (and the cost of the drinks) onto the table, stood up, straightened her dress and prepared to depart. James stood as well, paying the rest of the bill and then adjusting his jacket to ensure that his sidearm remained hidden from view. While he was not actually breaking any laws carrying it, most restaurants viewed carrying a firearm into their establishment as just a little rude. Offering his arm to Lily after that, James lead the way out of the restaurant and towards the entertainment district of town where the theatres were supposed to be.

"So, enjoying the downtime so far?" Lilly blushed a little when he held out his hand, but soon enough the two of them were walking arm in arm.

"Mmmh... Certainly. It's nice just to get away from the base and be able to act like normal people, rather than soldiers. The food and shower definitely help as well." She smiled as they walked through the street, simply enjoying the day. "Though I think I will be defering to your knowledge about movies. I have never actually seen one." James scoffed in disbelief and, as they evening wore on, he not only had her informed of the ones he had seen during leave previously, but also some of the upcoming ones he knew of.

By the end of the evening, they'd seen two movies and had dinner along with the late lunch they had had before the first movie. Parting ways at the top of the stairs leading to their rooms, James had a short inner battle about revealing how he felt about Lily to her then and there. But before he could say anything, she was already in her room and he sighed, going to his own. Another day would have to do.



Going straight to where he'd stored the letter, he read the contents and then sighed before rereading them. Of COURSE it was a black ops mission. What else would the Intelligence Division want with the militia, especially with them? Tossing the letter into his fireplace, the Corporal lays down still fully clothed and finds sleep to be elusive, his mind haunted by what the real reason behind their being here could be.

At 0600, James was up and knocking on the doors of all his squad members, noting moving until they'd all answered the door and he'd passed word to them to meet him in his room in their civilian clothes. While they got ready, he got directions to their tavern rendezvous and then made copies of them in his room so that by the time everyone arrived, he could hand out directions as needed, though he wasn't sure the group that Carn went with would need them since he lived here in Randgriz.

Within twenty minutes, everyone had done exactly that and he sighed before speaking, rubbing what little sleep remained in his eyes away. "Alright, so I wasn't completely honest with everyone on why we were here, but I didn't find out the exact reason why we're here myself until last night. Lord Barst has assigned us to black ops here in Randgriz. We're all to head to the East Street Tavern in groups no larger than three and contact a Christian Dahl. We can't be there any later than 0830. So, with that in mind, we're all going to pick partners, file out of the hotel, head in different directions, and then meet at the Tavern ON TIME. To that end, I took the liberty of securing directions and copying them."

He handed them out to everyone and then stood back, looking over the squad. "Alright, I'll pair up with Jatmoore. Get paired up and then get going. Make sure you're not too conspicuous, eh?"

"How... How long does it take to decide on a set of shoes?" This thought came to Evan's mind sometime during the third hour of their stop at the Randgrize shoe cobbler. First there was the clothing store, which took far too long (though he could at least understand how long it took to change clothes), then there was the café, which was a welcome respite from all the walking. The unfortunate downside was that since Eris was paying for his lunch, Evan had to pace himself and avoid letting his prodigious appetite bankrupt his benefactor. After that, they visited a shop specializing in jewelry, purses and other accessories, and lastly, the dreaded shoe shop. Originally Evan had actually been looking forward to this. It was just shoes, right? How bad could it be? In and out in 20 minutes, tops. ... Well that was two hours ago and Evan was quickly realizing exactly how wrong he had been.

By the time the girls had finished, they found Evan passed out on one of the street's benches, having lost the will to live been exhausted by carrying the small mountain of purchases around for them and deciding to capitalize on their tardiness by taking a nap. When woken, Evan groggily wiped his eyes and slowly sat up, stretching his stiffening muscles as he did. "Finally done? Ready to... You've got to be kidding me..." His relieved expression quickly faltered when he saw the nearly a dozen boxes that the girls were carrying with them... Just how the hell was he going to haul all of this?

By some miracle (and having the girls take a few of the bags themselves), he managed to make it back to the hotel with his entourage in tow and succeeded in setting the stuff down in a reasonably gentle fashion. "You guys figure out who's stuff is who's. I'm out." With a quick wave of his hand, he turned to leave but was stopped by a certain girl before he made it too far. Eris wanted to know about their bet.

Did he enjoy himself? Honestly, he wasn't quite sure. While lugging the bags around was far from 'fun', the banter they got into was enjoyable and their lunch was nice. He even managed to fit in the nap he'd been looking forward too all day. ...On the other hand, having Eris clinging to his arm multiple times during the day in a manner that was (apparently unbeknownst to her) incredibly easy to misunderstand... that was an annoyance. As Evan himself had said, he was probably old enough to know her mother. "It was alright. Fine, you win girly. I'll pay for the squad's next outing, but you'd better go easy on my wallet." Shaking his head, he pried her loose and headed back to his room before collapsing onto the bed.


Unfortunately, a nap so late in the day didn't do any favours for Evan's sleep. He had trouble actually drifting off, and spent the majority of the night in that place between asleep and awake where dreams were plentiful and nightmares lurked. He finally felt like he was about to drift off when he heard a knock at his door. Groaning and hauling himself out of bed, he sleepily staggered over to the door and opened it. There, standing in the hallway and dressed in a silken nightgown was... Eris? What the hell was she doing here? Evan blinked a couple times before asking her just that. "Um,... What's up?" Eris blushed and looked from side to side, before whispering back "I wished to talk with you... May I come in?" Well that was worrisome. The blush, the showing up in the middle of the night... did something happen? She looked nervous. "Uh, sure, girly." Leaving the door open for her to follow, Evan walked back to his bed and sat at the edge of it, a puzzled expression on his face. "Now what's up? Is something wrong?" "Oh no, nothing like that," said Eris as she closed and locked the door behind her. "You know, it was really nice of you to help us like you did, carrying around all of our stuff. I wanted to make it up to you~" Her voice had a slight predatory tone to it, as she stepped forward. Freeing one arm of her gown, she slowly shrugged the loose garment off, letting it fall to the floor and-

Evan awoke with a start, cold sweat pouring down his face. A dream. That's all that was. A dream. Goddamn it girl, get the fuck out of my head! Evan rolled out of bed and stomped his way over to the bathroom in desperate need of a cold shower. As fortune would have it, by the time he was finished another knock (a real one this time) sounded from his door. This time it was Corporal Hunt, who looked just as sleep deprived as him, calling him to a meeting.


After the Corporal's meeting, Evan looked around the room for a person to partner up with for the trek to the tavern. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied Eris. Oh hell no. "Vogel! You're with me.", he said, clapping the girl on the shoulder and leaving very little room to argue his statement.

"Black Ops, huh? I wonder why did the Intel trust a militia with such a critical task?" Eris couldn't help but think as she heard hunt's explanation. That said, her mind was slightly distracted by noticing Evan's strange behavior. Did she go a bit too hard on him yesterday? She knew that he calls himself an old man and all that but; did she bothered him when he really just wanted to rest?

Eris considered teaming up with Evan if only to have the chance to apologize for her behavior. Before she even had the chance to do so, he snagged Linda, after taking a suspicious glance at Eris's direction. "So, I really did something he didn't like..." she sighed. Well, it didn't matter now, Eris would have her chance to apologize later. For the time being, Eris had to find a partner and get moving. Looking around, she found that the only free one around was Ezekiel. After taking a moment to regain her composure, Eris walked to him and asked, "Would you mind if an old lady like me made you company? We still have a bit of time and I know a great ice cream parlor that's right in the way between here and our rendezvous point," with her characteristic smile stamping her face.

---

@AdmrlStalfos19

---

"I knew there was a catch! I just knew it!" Linda exclaimed as her paranoia was confirmed to be in the right this time. First, she could not buy several things she wanted on their outing because they were either sold out or way out of her price range. Next, she managed to trip carrying a bunch of boxes, breaking or dirtying a few items that she bought. Finally? She now learned that her first real "mission" was a black ops mission! Just what did the universe have against her?!

After receiving the paper, she felt a large hand on her shoulder. "Vogel! You're with me." Linda turned her head and looked up at Evan. "Are-Are you really sure? You do know that, knowing my luck, we will probably run into some kind of trouble right?" Then, Linda saw it. He was looking over at Eris as if afraid to end up with her. Linda flash-backed to the last time she was with Eris. She was drunk and almost hugged the older woman because she was apparently the sad type of drunk, least that is all she remembered. She did cause a bit of trouble but it was the fun kind of trouble. But Evan, he probably perceived it to be something different. "Fine...." Linda resigned her fate at Evan's insistence. "But don't say I didn't warn you if something does go wrong."

After heading back to her room for the evening, Lilly flopped onto the bed, reveling in it's wonderful softness for a time before eventually undressing and settling in to sleep. Today had been fun, both from being able to explore the city and from being able to spend more time with James. For some reason, as she drifted off, she couldn't help but think that simply going to sleep like this was a bit of a waste,... but also wasn't exactly sure what she wanted to happen. Oh well.


The next morning, when James woke the group for a meeting, Lilly spent most of the time fretting about what was going on. Weren't they on vacation? What did the Intelligence Agency want with them on their day off? As the group split off into pairs and trios to make their way to the tavern, Lilly stood silently and waited for James to finish up. "Just let me know when you're ready to leave..."


"Um,... I think this is the place." Lilly looked up from the city map she was holding, to the rundown and weathered tavern in front of her. Clearly building had seen better days. Its wood showed clear signs of age, having weathered countless winters, and the roof was missing a few shingles. The interior wasn't much better, being dimly lit and smelling distinctly of smoke. Most of the squad was already here, but it was easy to pick out the man they were supposed to meet. The only other person in the bar was a blonde haired man in his mid 30s, who was currently nursing a glass of whiskey despite how early it was in the day. As Lilly approached him, the man turned towards the group and smiled. "Excuse me, sir, are you Mr. Dahl?" "That I am! I assume you're here for the shareholders meeting?" Shareholder's meeting? What on earth? It took a moment, but eventually Lilly clued in to what he was trying to do. "Yes." "Excellent. I've had the barkeep set aside a room in the back for us to discuss our business, though I am expecting a few others to show up. I'm sure anyone else who was invited can join us there." Christian emphasised the last part of his sentence, signaling (in no uncertain terms) for the rest of the group to follow him, Lilly and James as they made their way to another room.

The so-called meeting room turned out to be little more than a cleared out storage room with a table in the center of it. As the squad entered, Christian Dahl gestured for them to surround the table as he laid out a map of Randgriz's surrounding lands out onto the table. Once the door was shut, he began his little spiel. "Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, and thank you for 'volunteering' to assist the Intelligence Agency in this vital mission. Before we begin, you have to know that what we discuss in this room cannot be told to anyone, nor can the activities you participate in on our behalf be disclosed without a direct order from Lord Barst. If you break these rules, rest assured, the Intelligence Agency has no qualms with having troublemakers mysteriously disappear. Now!" He clapped his hands together for emphasis. "I don't anticipate this squad causing many problems for us, so let's get down to business." He slid a report onto the table for anyone interested to read, detailing his spying operation. "Over the past two weeks, city sentries, particularly those around the palace, have been reporting strange behavior - 'civilians' snooping where they shouldn't, record rooms that should have been locked having been rummaged through, guards being followed on their patrols, and other espionage related crap. Needless to say, this doesn't sit well with the Intelligence Agency." Producing another set of papers from the bag he had stashed in the corner of the room, he slid a set of photos onto the table. Each of them contained a single person, usually taken from an odd angle to avoid suspicion. "During my time in the city, I've managed to confirm that these six are part of a spy ring. Obviously we can't let them continue, but you'll notice from the photos that one of them has managed to work his way into the palace guard."

Christian began to pace back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back. "We can't bring the soldiers stationed in Randgriz into this, so that's where you come in. You're going to help me by being the muscle for the Intelligence service. I've determined that the group is going to meet this afternoon in a house outside the town. You're going to be the ones to raid it. We want to capture the spies if we can, but more importantly, we want their documents. Does anyone have any questions?"

"Yeah, how are we supposed to do that? We don't have any guns or uniforms." This time, it was Evan's turn to address the man. He had wandered in later than the rest of the group on account of being delayed by someone tripping repeatedly.

"I'm glad you asked, Mr. Carne." Christian nodded to the man and for a brief second, Evan looked surprised. The fact that the man already knew his last name without being introduced was something he found a little disquieting. He probably had memorized the squad roster before meeting them... "The intelligence agency has seen fit to provide me with a substantial budget for aquiring anything my support might need - that includes food, shelter, transportation, uniforms, and metal sticks that make 'boom' noises. They've all been secured at a dead drop halfway to the meeting house. When we mobilize, we'll make a stop there, get changed and equipped, and then make our move on their little hide out." Gesturing back to the rest of the group, Christian invited more inqueries. "If you have any other questions, please ask away. Otherwise, make ready and prepare to move out. We'll meet outside the hotel in one hour."

James and Lilly had arrived at the indicated bar with no issues, though they did make a sidetrip for some waffle cone ice cream for an early breakfast. Upon arriving, he followed their contact and then listened to what he had to say, including what Carne mentioned about their weapons and uniforms. That had crossed the Corporal's mind earlier, but if there was one thing that he understood about Gallian Intelligence, it's that they didn't leave their "agents" with nothing to work with. So when Carne's question was answered, he only had one to ask himself. "And if this goes south, are we going to be disavowed as I've seen happen to so many good men and women who get caught up with Intelligence?"

At Hunt's question, Christian broke out into a wide smile that was equal parts comforting and predatory. "Let's leave that discussion for another time. If you don't fail there is nothing to worry about, and your squad's reputation leads me to believe that this will be the likely outcome." Of course, despite his words, Christian's mannerisms clearly indicated the answer to this question: 'yes'.

This field trip to Randgriz just kept getting better and better. One day Ezekiel had a blast around the city with the busty girl, who'd gotten to know as Eris, the old guy who he'd known as Evan and the flat-chested girl that was Linda, and the next he was tasked to see to his own Black Ops mission. Well... "his own" wouldn't be the correct choice of words, since the whole squad had to partake in it and Ezekiel certainly wasn't the leader of said squad. Cpl. Hunt had everyone partner up and meet up with this dude in a shady tavern, and at first, Ezekiel was between partnering with the lancer girl that showed up earlier, or trying to take a chance with Eris. Thankfully, Eris managed to seek out Ezekiel before he could reach the painstaking decision and, being the lifesaver that she was...

"Would you mind if an old lady like me made you company?" well, Ezekiel would never have considered Eris "old" per se, "We still have a bit of time and I know a great ice cream parlor that's right in the way between here and our rendezvous point."

"Ice-cream?!" Ezekiel piped up for a second, but the smile vanished from his face within the second it appeared as he bit his lip and inhaled, "Ooooh, and now I wish I didn't need those goddamned shoes, ugh. Immediate regret."

He shook his head as this reminded him of his less-than-stellar experience with the shoe store. While the two girls were still trying out new clothes, Ezekiel had already paid for his and was already on his way to that shoe store that Eris had recommended earlier... except he couldn't find any pair of shoes that were cheap enough, and had to resort to a painfully lengthy haggle with the woman at the teller just so he could ultimately afford what he wanted. And even that drained most of what was left, leaving only about 200 Ducats for this day in particular. Ezekiel hadn't the slightest recollection of how much ice-cream normally costed, and he'd feel bad if he had to haggle for ice-cream of all things. He could only hope that those oh-so-expensive shoes were worth the price...

"Maybe it'd be best if we skip the ice-cream and just head straight to this bar," Ezekiel decided.

...

Sure enough, Eris and Ezekiel had made it to the tavern, and in due time as well. Ezekiel had definitely thought about asking the barkeeper for a drink and seeing what he'd get in return, if anything. The last time he did this, he'd gotten a glass of orange juice... which the owner of the orphanage had to pay for, much to her disapproval with the boy. In any case, he stayed with the rest of the squad for the moment, and learnt more about this Black Ops mission from the guy they were supposed to meet. Apparently the squad was to raid a house that a sextet of spies had been stashing documents integral to the Gallian Army's Intelligence Division, and retrieve those documents as well as the spies if they were able. Photos were laid out for the squad to identify what the spies looked like, but they looked to be taken from an abnormal angle. Ezekiel had the perfect question for this "Christian Dahl", and it was right on the tip of his tongue.

"So have you guys at Intel found anything about where these people are from, exactly? Are they... Imperials? Federation? Rouge Gallians, possibly?" Ezekiel shrugged his soldiers at this last one; it was hard to imagine a country who an inhabitant would turn his or her back on right when it needed all the able-bodied fighters it could get, but he didn't deny the possibility that someone would be that cruel, "And if they come from all over Europa, are you able... and willing, mind you, to tell us who's from where?"

Hunt's eyes narrowed at the man's answer and his mannerisms and he decided that he would be giving High Command the heads up that Intelligence was stealing Militia squads for Black Ops within Gallia. Let the bloody spooks deal with the fall out on that one. Turning, he waves Gosling over as he double checks his sidearm. "Don't waste your breath, lad. Intelligence tells only what we need to know and doesn't give a damn about what we want to know. Nationality doesn't matter here anyways, there's confirmation these people are snooping where they're unwanted and that's good enough for Intelligence. Though speaking of..." Checking the last spare clip he'd brought with him, James turns back to Mister Dahl and speaks to him again.

"You happen to have a sniper stockpiled away amongst all those guns?"

"Right, there's nothing to be done about it, I think," Eris replied to Ezequiel. She wasn't truly downcast, but her voice betrayed a little bit of disappointment. "I forgot that we are on duty, sorry." The reality of war caught up with Eris once again, causing her to feel suddenly sick The weekend misadventures almost made her forget that she had been conscripted; this was something she couldn't afford to ignore.

Later, at the meeting place...

Now there was Eris standing silently as she listened to Dahl's briefing. Most of the questions asked went without saying. The Military Intelligence may have seen some value on their squad but, in the end of the day, all of them were Militia, unlikely to be spies because of the randomness of the draft process, as well as being ultimately disposable. Needless to say, this position didn't fancy Eris, at all. Not so say anything of a frontal assault. It felt way too blunt to solve this case, almost as if... "Excuse me, Sir," Eris raised a hand, calling for Dahl's attention, "is there are possibility that this may be a false flag operation, or some other form of deception? I'm not questioning the Gallian Intelligence's skill. However, this much evidence make it seem like that the enemy may be allowing themselves to be intentionally spotted. If that's a possibility, wouldn't a frontal assault be exactly what they are waiting? Their real objective even be feed us with false Intel, as a cover up for some larger scheme."

"That said, it's obvious that I do not suggest that we do nothing... But, don't we —I mean, this Squad, specifically— have something that we can use to our advantage?" Eris looked around the small room before continuing, "You asked us to man this operation because we are Militia —thus, anonymous civilians in the eyes of foreign agencies— but, there's something else we have on our side..." she took a deep breath and laid a hand over her chest, not believing that she was about to say what she had in mind, "We are a group mostly women, a child, and a couple men. If we play it right, we might be the ones deceiving them. Say... some of us feign doing a picnic around the are of their hideout 'completely oblivious to it', while the others stand ready to storm it, when the chance presents itself. In an ideal scenario, we could even infiltrate their hideout, using a bit of, erm... charisma and use this chance to facilitate the operation or, even extract the intelligence without them ever noticing, basically rendering their whole operation moot. At the very least it'll allow us to observe them from closer and determine which is the best way to tackle this situation."

"Of course, it's a risky business —for us— but it also has a high pay-off —for you. I mean, if we storm the place the enemy can always destroy the evidence before we get our hand on it. This way, the chances of this happening are little. It may end up with some of us dead or captured by an enemy spy cell. It certainly win't hurt the Gallian Intelligence since we don't know anything useful to begin with. However it's something that Corporal Hunt as well as the others need to agree with before we depart. Either way, Sir, just think of how your name would gain instant recognition, maybe even a promotion, if we pull this one? It would leave the bitter taste of the Gallian Intelligence's craftiness stinging on our enemies tongues for a long time; I'm sure that Lord Barst would appreciate such an outcome." Eris was practically hyperventilating as well as sweating bullets once she finished her spiel. She never had to propose such a thing to someone with higher authority than her after she graduated. Needless to say, it was exhausting. But, if they could pull it off, there was a slightly bigger chance that the whole Squad would come out of this as a whole, whereas an assault would unavoidably lead to at the very least bullet wounds, if not actual casualties, as long as their Squad was as lacking in manpower as they are.

Hopefully, the others would agree. If not, Eris could only pray for the Valkyrur to smile upon them, pick her guns and fight.

As Eris detailed her suggestion, Christian leaned back and patiently listened, a thoughtful expression on his face. When she finished, he took a moment to think before responding. "Hmmm... First of all, please don't assume I care about recognition or fame to my name. I don't. I care if the plan works. ...but your suggestion might have merit. Therein lies the rub: I'm not the one who is going to be planning this attack. I'm a spy amongst other things, not a tactician. The responsibility of finalizing and executing an attack plan lies with you, or more specifically, Corporal Hunt. Reports say that your squad performed admirably in the battle for Vasel. I assume that you should have no problems creating your own strategy." After entertaining a few more questions, Christian produced a pocket watch and used it to check the time. "Unfortunately, ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to have to cut this meeting short. My supply contact is due to meet with me soon, and I must be off. Discuss your battle plan amongst yourselves and burn these documents after you're finished with them. I'll meet you outside the hotel in an hour. ... And make sure you've got anything you need for that picnic or disguise idea. I can supply weapons and uniforms, not food and cocktail dresses." Before he left, he slid two more photos onto the table, detailing the building they were going to be attacking. It was a simple, one story country house that looked like it might have been abandoned a few years back, sitting in a partially forested area. On his way out the door, he noticed that Eris was still flush and sweating bullets. "Please, I do hope you don't think I'm that unnerving to talk to." Christian tossed the joke her way as he headed out the door.

True to his word, Christian rumbled up to the front of the hotel in the lorry he had acquired from his supplier about sixty minutes later. Honking the horn to signal his presence (and irritating the posh aristocrats within the building), he waited for the squad to board. "We have to step up our timings, gentlemen. It looks like the guard might be relieved early today." When the squad's corporal pulled himself into the passenger seat, Dahl nodded to him. "Good news, Mr. Hunt. A sniper rifle was indeed among the weapons my contact left at the pick up location."


The long and winding road they drove took them about a half hour out of the city, through rolling farm hills and rich green forests. The drive would have almost been nice if Lilly was not fretting about what was to come. Either combat or some sort of infiltration, both options sent shivers down her spine... Oddly enough she almost preferred the straight forward combat option. At least then she knew what to expect... The truck suddenly lurched to a halt, sending Lilly colliding against the person beside her (an accident she rapidly apologized for). "We have arrived, ladies and gentlemen." As the squad unloaded from the back of the Lorry, Lilly watched as Dahl produced a small note and (presumably following it's instructions) walked over to a small cluster of bushes. After a few seconds of fiddling around, he heaved a large trunk out of the bushes and pulled the camouflage netting that had covered of off to the side. Inside the trunk were maps, weapons and a set of uniforms... if they could be called that, for everyone in the squad. The uniforms in particular stuck out, however. They weren't in the usual Gallian colours. They looked much more patchwork and almost homemade, with their armour plates sewn into the fabric itself. "The meeting house is half a mile down the road. Figure out what your plan is, and equip yourselves accordingly."

With that, Christian stepped back to let the rest of the squad at the gear. Lilly peered into the box and wasted no time finding a rifle she could use. It was an older model, probably from the inter-war period, and looked like it had been through it's fair share of fights. Sighing, she set about loading it up and dusting it off. She'd grab a uniform from the trunk after everyone else had gotten their gear, but for now she wanted to make sure the weapon was at least somewhat clean and in fighting shape.


Evan was at a bit of a loss for what to do... Looking through the trunk with the rest of the squad, he tried to figure out what he should take. He was technically trained with a rifle, but was absolutely shit with it. There were a pair of lances at the bottom, probably equipped with mortars. He could easily lift one of those, but hadn't been trained properly with them (outside of a single day on the range), so he knew he would have trouble hitting the broad side of a barn... Ditto with the SMGs. The uniforms were clearly made to fit the most common sizes of people, so they were far too tight for him. He wouldn't be much use trying to infiltrate... Hmm... "Yo, Chris. Got a problem." Calling the young man over, he took a moment to explain the problem, which only caused Christian to laugh.

"Please, do you think I have not read your training profiles? Take a walk with me, Mr. Carne." Underneath the Lorry was a hidden and hither-to unnoticed box. Undoing a clamp, Christian let it fall to the ground with a loud thud before gesturing for Evan to open it. Inside was... Oh. This was going to be a long walk... Inside the crate was a surprisingly modern mounted machinegun, complete with two belts of ammunition, a tripod and sights. "I take it I'll be setting up with you then?" "That is correct. I'm going to be watching the operation from a nearby hill and you are going to set up near me with that machine gun. If things take a turn for the worse, we'll provide support with it." Evan smiled and nodded approvingly. "Just like in the training exercise." The heavy weight he'd have to carry aside, at least he had a job he could do.