It was a grim, dark Wednesday afternoon. Two o'clock, not much activity on all fronts. The heavy rainfall had just come around three hours prior. A greyscale palette coated the city streets whilst the neon lights, great towers and car headlights forced their way through the emotionless day. From beyond the shadowed car window, there was a sick stench from the midnight market stalls and dazzling light-show convenience stores all combining into one foul aroma. Measly flashes of dark alleyway dealings, bustled crowds and the odd corporate get-together littered each corner street the vehicle passed through. It was the same synthesised presentation the city had latched on to since its inception. There was little tradition at first glance as the new neo-modern era had just grown out of its infancy. It had been quite a while since he'd taken in most of the city's sights as the last months had restricted him to the local area of the recovery centre, with very little variety other than the quieter regions of the metropolis. Takai sighed and placed his head back against the passenger's headrest. It was probably the most uncomfortable thing he'd leant against, and he sure did miss the coddled security of the medical facility.

One had a lot to ponder over. There hadn't been much news from the National Security Force since his untimely incapacitation and news on the raids, inner-circle and operations had to have been reserved only to those within its walls. Loose lips sink ships, after all. Out of the loop, and out of the picture, he felt like an outcast. The new metallic replacements to his body weren't anything other than a detriment to his identity. And to go down the roads and streets of NeoTokyo, riddled with a strange disturbance to it all, assured him that he'd just returned to reality from his privately owned utopia.

Then again, he felt a strangeness to finally being called upon as 'Takai'. He had grown as used to his alter-ego, Yōta Akimoto, as much as he had learned to hate it. He wasn't going to miss having a day go by when the alias shared with an ex-footballer would be brought up, where he'd pretend to laugh it off in docile small-talk. Saying that though, he couldn't fault the medical staff the NSF had given him. They were kind and caring, something he clearly hadn't been used to. And the accompanying figure of Doctor Miho Yamada, who was currently sat in the car with him, reminded him of where his true roots were planted. They made the arduous process of rapid "recovery" and rehabilitation worthwhile, for the small part. And the odd letter, encrypted with permission from NSF Staff, made for a brief reminder that he was someone other than Yōta. Still, with the NSF facilitated coverup story in place, it was a matter of just waiting.

He grew less hopeful of his return. At least two operations would have taken place since his brutish separation from his unaugmented state. He'd cut his hair and looked almost like a different man, with the shorter and far sterner appearance. There had been a reinforcement placed in his facial mounting port for the PHUD, and the most notable changes in his forearm and leg were difficult to ignore, even if he'd covered them up with clothing.

The car ride had been very quiet. Neither the driver nor the two passengers had made any attempts at conversation up until they reached the final stretch. A long, prestigious alleyway leading up to the governmental parking allotment, which was ultimately one of the few routes to the NSF's main headquarters. Recognising the street, Takai readjusted his composer and sat up straight.

"How're you feeling now?" Breaking the silence, Miho spoke over her silent workings - and she drowned out the tapping of her fingers against her notepad. "Stressed? Worried?"

"On edge, to be honest." He spoke with a moderate stiffness to his tone. His voice, both reserved and composed, mirrored the clear-cut examination conversations he'd shared with Miho over the previous months, and he found it ever the more difficult to break out of that strictly professional barrier. "A lot may have changed in three months, and I am unsure if I am ready to partake in that shift."

"Well, you're right in that things will have changed, but I wouldn't call it unrecognisable. Just take your time and figure out how you want to ease back into this. You won't be placed on any D.A.Ds anytime soon, so you should be able to ease back into this." In reference to the Direct Assault Duties, he eased off a little. Going straight back into the assaulting scene was the last thing he needed. Having a few test-runs on investigations at least gave him the chance to prove he was mentally and physically fit to return to active service. Miho closed her datapad and turned her gaze to Takai, who's eyes were still fixated on the outside world. Just beyond his window, the shadow of the parking lot crept in and the light of the rain-fed day faded in an instant. She placed a hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry. We've practiced this. And you're not completely alone. I've fully integrated into the organisation, and you still have the aforementioned allies. Kaz, and Iha too. They're still alive and well, so it seems."

Takai gave her a nod of affirmation, but went back to watching the outside world drift by. The rain no longer danced against his window pane and the cold interior of the parking lot became little more than a tedious performance. He looked away and finally turned to his medical director.

"What's on the agenda today? I'll need to know where I can make myself most useful."

"Oh, well, I'm not sure today completely. There's a meeting happening on the higher levels, not sure about what. I know there's an analysis on a small component recovered during a raid a couple of nights before, but that's really up for the engineers. Maybe there's a director of sorts you could reaffirm your return with? Friends as well? Don't rush into these things."

"Right, I'm sorry." He watched as the car twisted down the tunnels and bypassed the many checkpoints laid out for them. Seeing as they had taken one of the more exposed yet heavily armoured entrances, it took up to an additional ten minutes to get through each guard post, each posed as part of a regular governing body located nearby. In time, they reached the main facility, and the car pulled to a halt. Without a word, Takai opened the door, but was stopped by Miho's voice.

"Take it easy today. You're a new man with a dirty piece of slate to write on. Don't rush the cleaning process and keep yourself tempered. You'll be given an investigation soon enough when the time comes, and by then you'll be ready. Do you understand?"

The patronising professionalism soon began to irk him the wrong way, but he brushed it off with a slight smirk. Of course he knew, and she knew that as well, but the chances of him running off and trying to get back into what he did before were still quite high, even if that place held the very source of his trauma.

"I understand." Miho smiled and nodded to herself, congratulating on the final step of her jobline's phase. Finally, she'd given Takai the steps to reintegrate back into the NSF, and with that had completed the most time-consuming part of her assignment. Her placement laid in the medical facilities of the NSF's main headquarters, and so she stayed in the vehicle and let was carried away when it drove off. Takai stood in place for a moment, lugging around a small rucksack filled with a few personal bits and pieces that hadn't already been transported back to the NSF's lockers. And with everything seemingly in place, he walked into the main hall of the NSF, unsure of what he'd meet when he first re-entered the arduous shadow conflict.



With fourteen armed personnel by his side, he wandered through the hallways of the deepest levels of the facility. He looked around at the decorations hung on the metallic and concrete walls. Photos, paintings and framed works of previous short-lived programmes created of similar purposes. The past minister, even one for himself, and traditional art works handpicked by the leader himself. He smiled as he admired their strokes and embraced their presence with curled lips. One of the nearby lights flickered and he pointed to it, watching as another man noted down its little fault quickly. They were meagre things to take note of, but he liked to be thorough. After all, these were the greatest depths of the National Security Force. It would be uncouth to let it fall apart by ignoring the concerns of perfectionism.

He entered a small room, where the secretary leading the way opened the door for him and showed him to a large, LED-lit desk. He smiled to himself and gladly walked in, with most of the security detachment following in closely. Tapping his fingers against the surface, he found the least comfortable seat and gently placed himself down upon it, before nodding quietly to the secretary. She smiled back at him and gave him a graceful welcoming.

"Thank you for the wait, Mr Mashai, one of our Board of Directors will be here to meet with you shortly."

_{@LetMeDoStuff}

---

The Engineering area for Mikasa’s aesthetic choices was peaceful and right up her own alley, making her feel like it was a home away from home. She worked with the other NSF Engineers to decipher or crack a black box, the field agents found. It helped; she kept the focus on her peaceful humming tune of different gun sounds. ” It is quite nice to decipher a black box; isn’t that right, everyone else? Uh, I think I lost track of time or something… but how long have we been trying to do this again?” Mikasa questioned the other engineers since she works and works without realizing it's time. It is a bit unhealthy for her to do that, but she wakes up in the morning to tinker with stuff.

Mikasa stretched her arms a bit since they were strained somewhat by all the other projects she has for field agents. She always thought to keep herself limber and active over slowly getting more and more tired throughout the day. However, she felt a shiver down her spine since that probably means Akechi called Naomi yet again. ’ I have a feeling Naomi is being called right now… I dislike how Akechi is such an ass.’ Mikasa thought with a smile on her face while still focused on working. It is quite a harsh thing, but Naomi does seriously need to tell her father off one of these days. Mikasa always tried to get Naomi to do that, but she never does; it's like she has no drive to do so, which annoys her. However, Naomi did get married to the one that truly did love her.

If anything, Mikasa tries not to deal with telling Akechi to fuck off and leave his daughter alone and let her live in happiness that she is trying to keep. However, Naomi wouldn’t probably enjoy Mikasa interfering again like previously. ”Hmm… I hope we do get this cracked… because it would help me out much. Therefore, I can work on repairing or upgrading gear for the field agents.” Mikasa said with a wonderfully hopeful tone that they could crack the black box. It is always odd for her to say hope to crack something since they will crack it, but she wants to work on the more important stuff for the field agents, even though this is definitely important. However, Mikasa does have a slight bit of a nervous feeling towards the thing inside her left pocket, the flash drive that needs to be worked on more when she gets home.

---

---

In the lounge, it definitely had a peaceful aesthetic, which calms Naomi down from all the hectic annoyances in her life that bash her. It constantly makes her deep in her heart feel happy she has a daughter and a husband who loves her deeply. She looked down at her green tea and the healthy snack, which makes her deep sigh, being reminded that Akechi will probably call soon. ’ I hope dad doesn’t like bad mouth me again, but the likelihood of that happening is a super low chance since he never saw me as his daughter but only as a tool to use...’ She thought with deepening lack of a smile on her face and like she had to deal with the devil soon. It was in her body language by sitting at one of the tables in the lounge.

Naomi’s phone vibrates, which means Akechi is calling had a routine; hopefully, it will be better than his usual phone calls to her. She sighs and puts her headset on, and answers the call by saying his first name. ” Y-Yes, father, what do you want now?” She asked with a slight bit of a hint of fear in her voice. Naomi was visibly shaking and worried about what her father will say, but she’s trapped in the cycle. All because her mother didn’t apologize to her, which would have helped her a bit.

Akechi sighed over the call in hearing the fear in her voice because she only stutters when talking to him or her mother. He took a bit to refocus his attention on what is at hand instead of his daughter constantly being worthless. ”...You worthless experiment, Naomi. You really need to get some backbone, worthless. However, to the point, the Drai Division has given me an update on your mental health profile. And it is not good… But the Drai Division told me you wouldn’t be given shocks for a whole day tomorrow to see if that helps your mental health.” Akechi said with a tone of heavy annoyance in his voice. He wanted to see if some positive reinforcement will help his daughter’s mental health since this is the first time. He’d have ever given her a break from being immobilized by the pain of the shocks. However, Akechi gave his daughter the news he straight up hanged up since he’s still heavily disappointed in his daughter’s performance.

Naomi's eyes went wide when her father told her about not going to be immobilized for the whole day tomorrow. She sighed when her father straight up hanged up on her so she couldn’t give him her response to the news. However, he did start with an insult like usual, so her father is still causing her mental trauma. ”Damn it… I cannot really stand up to his voice… Akechi is really good at making me feel worthless.” Naomi said with a slightly frustrated look on her face. In her whole body language, she felt much better after the call, but she doesn’t have to hear her father for a whole different purpose. Naomi went back to drinking her green tea and ate a bit of her snack she got. It was always one thing or another with her father will he be nice or is he stuck in his ways for being a traditionalist Japanese Businessman. However, it must mean her father wants something from her; it made her completely worried. ” Oh no, what does Akechi want now? Please no more father… I can’t handle any more experiments on me… from the Drai Division...” Naomi thought with tears going down her cheek, completely afraid of what might happen. She was a broken woman who has some hope in her life, which was only because of her sweet little girl Ayame.

It took her some time to regain her resolve to have a relaxing day at the NSF Headquarters. If anything, Akechi always ruins her mood when she wants to relax; it's like clockwork. Naomi looked at the plate, which held the cup she was drinking green tea out of. ” I can’t wait to see my husband and my sweet little girl. They are my hope, and I am cherishing all the moments with them...” Naomi said out loud without really thinking because she cannot handle any more problems.

2 PM, Wednesday. The middle of the day, the middle of the week, everything outside still grey and damp from the earlier rain. Kaz felt no need to go outside and look at the storm's aftermath. She could already imagine the reflections of neon drenched skyscrapers shining in the puddles, shimmering water collecting in gutters like so much oil. It had been the same in Washington, Moscow, Bogota, every major city she had lived or worked in. This brave new world was one of steel and glass, one where there was less space for cultural differences than ever before. There was no real difference between skylines, not anymore.

She could remember when there had been. Places like Los Angeles and New York had always been sprawling metropolises but there had been enough subtle differences in layout and culture to differentiate the two. Now they shared the same structure and pollution, the same overly wealthy assholes and desperate poor separated by only a few blocks. Monuments to human misery, goblets of greed that were forever running over and staining wider society. Where they went so did everywhere else, and they were going straight to hell.

Goddamnit.

She was doing it again, that thing where she'd become absorbed in self-righteous philosophizing. One of the side effects of her getting deep fried in its own chemicals was the tendency to engage in sanctimonious bullshit. Or more accurately, the emotionally damaged state she had been left in lent itself to misanthropic musing of the worst kind. It was important to nip those thoughts in the bud. Kaz might not have been able to be happy but she refused to sink to the level of the wannabe Nietzsches and nitwit nihilists of the world.

2:03 PM now, time to get out. Breakfast was a bite of the stale granola bar she found in her pocket as she slipped into the NSF and a cigarette that slid neatly into the corner of her mouth as she left her quarters. There was a scrape of rubber against linoleum as she moved towards the main hall, the great bear of a woman traveling at speed as she always did. There was a corner coming up and Kaz took it recklessly, rounding right into a poor staff member.

With more than a foot of height and maybe a hundred pounds of weight differing between them it was little surprise that the secretary or analyst or whatever she was got knocked off of her feet with a yelp, scattering papers across the floor. The only admission of wrongdoing she got from Kaz was an apologetic grunt and a puff of smoke, the American moving on without even a word.

She moved into the crush of people despite herself, forced to interact with other people in an attempt to feign normalcy. She would grit her teeth and bear the weight of socialization, let the sedatives in her system keep her from lashing out. She could do this. It was routine, normal, unimportant for anyone normal. The trick was to scan for anyone she knew was bearable, one of the few "friends" whose presence she could stand.

And who did Kaz spy but Takai, back from his medical absence with shiny new limbs. He'd do.

"Hello Takai, glad to see you moving around again."

Her Japanese might have improved during his absence by her dead eyed stare was the same, punching right through her comrade even as she extended a hand for him to shake. Somethings could just never change.

-----


Every part of Dàiyù's body hurt. Her muscles were sore from getting through a glass table, her head was pounding thanks to a combination of too many stimulants and not enough sleep. Hell even her metal arm was acting up, a phantom pain tricking her brain into thinking it had the old flesh and bone limb again. Side effects of her busy schedule the past few evenings no doubt.

The ride from the slum apartment she had crashed in to the NSF's headquarters gave Dai time to recollect and refocus herself. The rumbling roar of the secondhand motorcycle beneath her was a pleasant backdrop for her thoughts, letting her lay out jumbled memories without having to focus too much on them. Let's see here...

What had she been up to last night? There was the banquet to raise money for some kind of good cause, the funds going to a charitable donation run by a Mr. Maeda. Mr. Maeda was of course not real and his organization was no more than a front but the guests that knew that wouldn't have cared. Lots of boring conversations with boring socialites made bearable by the subtle abuse of downers.

After wiggling away from that charade she had gotten herself a bite to eat and switched outfits, swapping out the elegant dress and heels of Li Dàiyù for the battered mask and armor of the Fox. Everything from that point on was a little fuzzy, the particulars made hazy and high pitched by the amphetamines she had taken before getting started. There had been more paranoia than usual, a tense climb up to a fifth story window and then a simple matter of breaking into a safe. But she was pretty sure something had gone wrong sooner or later.

The bike hit a bump in the road and Dai was forced to fight for control, kicking her heel against the curb to save herself from wiping out. Balance was restored and she was back on the road with hardly a dip in speed, no harm no foul. The jolt had even shaken the dregs of drug induced sleep from her head, reminding her of why her back still felt like shit.

The loser she was stealing from had come home while she was busy reading through the documents she snatched out of his "hidden" safe and he had been none too pleased to see her. Did he know that she had been sent by the men he had been ripping off for months or did he just think she was an eccentric thief stumbling upon sensitive info. Probably the latter, he was just an associate that got ideas above his station not an actual gangster. Either way he had managed to put her through a glass table before she could get a hand around his throat. He died defiantly sure, but died nonetheless.

Case closed, time to rush home for a few hours sleep before heading for the old day job. Which of course was where she was now, puling into her usual spot in the garage and grabbing her bag to change. A couple nods to the mechanics taking care of the force's vehicles and she was inside heading for the lockers. With her helmet and jacket stuffed away Dai was ready for work.

Work was perhaps a strong word since there wasn't exactly an assignment for her to be doing but she had at least clocked in. For the time being she'd take up position at the range. It was a simple manner to sign in and get her gun, a no frills pistol that shot straight and didn't jam. There were no gimmicks or gadgets attached, it relied on her skill and her skill alone to function.

How convenient then that she had skill in spades.

The first two shots landed right on target, punching neat hole through the head of the paper bad guy she was shooting at. A third and fourth found their way into the chest. Shooting was second nature at this point, made easier by the advanced optics in her eyes. If she ever had to face someone who stood perfectly still and didn't shoot back she'd be more than ready. An actual combat situation would still be a crapshoot, no matter how much training or expensive had been crammed into her.

@LetMeDoStuff

Itsuki's transfer to the NSF was unusually quick and smooth, despite the reports of his 'problematic behavior'. While the reason for that was probably due to Itsuki's performance and historic as an agent, he didn't care that much about it. Just the fact that there wouldn't be many annoying and boring interviews or paperwork already made him satisfied enough. Most of his things were already packed up the previous day in order to be transported to the NSF quarters. Hopefully, by now they would already be on his room and he wouldn't need to move everything himself. They were also kind enough to provide the personal equipment he had asked for, namely the Russian made rifle and the English pistol that had recently became his favored weapons for work due to their effectiveness, high stopping power and flexibility. Not only that but he was also notified that he would have a personal room and would be able to use the facilities that were available in the NSF headquarters as much as he wanted. Having already seen the training facility they had in the physical test he had to make, that was definitely interesting news... Assuming the rest of their facilities was as good as the training room, of course.

Itsuki had a rather pleasant surprise when he arrived on the NSF headquarters. Although there was no welcoming party or anything, the installations were undoubtedly a clear cut above any other he had when working for the Tokushu Butai or even his own home. His room was surprisingly comfortable too and had a really nice size, going as far as having luxuries such as a television and other extras just for the extra comfort of the agent who would stay there. Although there was a small thing that drew his attention.

After putting the small backpack containing a few things that weren't transported before in the bed, he approached the wall, where a small hole, a bit bigger than a bullet was cleanly cut, connecting straight to the other room. Leaning forward, he approached his face from the small hole, putting his eye on it, which gave him a good view of the room right besides his own.

"Huh..." he exclaimed, raising an eyebrow. While he had no problem with such a small hole, he would rather not have some weirdo spy on him while he was sleeping.

Getting three cigars out of the pack he carried with him, he stuffed them into the hole, completely blocking it.

"Let's just hope my neighbor doesn't smoke..." he said to himself with a chuckle before he went out and headed towards the main room in other to take a look at the people he was going to work with and socialize a bit while hopefully, avoiding his superiors.

While the personal rooms were quiet and there weren't that many people walking around, the main hall was the complete opposite. The number of people walking around in hurried paces, each one doing their own job was proportional to the size of the NSF base. A few people drew attention from the others, like a giantess of a woman with an absent stare greeting a Japanese man that was much shorter than her but Itsuki stood out like a sore thumb. Amidst many people who were either wearing combat oriented clothes or formal suits, Itsuki was the only one wearing a pair of sandals, gray cargo pants and a simple lose and messy black collared shirt that couldn't be farther from formal wear. Coupled with his messy hair and his carefree posture, it truly made him stand out among the rest. Not in a good manner though.

Sitting down in a bench inside one of the marked areas for smokers, Itsuki simply lighted a cigar and started lazily smoking it while he watched the people come and go. Once in a while, he would find a few who stood out from the rest and kept his gaze on them a bit longer, almost like he was playing a small game with himself, trying to figure out where they would go. To the offices with the rest of the pencil pushers, towards the training room like the ones who wore either sports or combat clothes or if they would go anywhere else.

---

11AM Wednesday.

The clock stroke top, the middle-aged gentleman, almost alone in the corner of the floor, stood up from the workout machine. The former Jinrai agent let out a puff as he wiped the sweat from his face and the chair he sat on just moments ago, picked up his cane and headed off for a shower. It was just another day everyday for the last 25 or so year of his life. Once his gun is in his holster, regardless of rain or snow, without fail, Takeda would be at a gym around the city, one different location each day. Seeing the lack of activity around the the gym, he mourned the state of mind people were put into. Way before the nuke ordeal, the fact that the people are so fixated with the next shiny thing that came out of this neo-modernist society that they neglected their own physical maintenance was worth a sigh. If he was going to be honest, it wasn't his office where the tough problems met its solution keys, it was here in these workout benches, the treadmill, the weights. Not only it kept him in top shape, it cleared his thoughts and allowed only the best and the ingenuity to shine through.

After the shower, Takeda made his way back to his apartment to have his meal. Ingredients were already bought fresh earlier in the morning. His clothes already prepared the night before. Everything went according to schedules by the minutes. Twelve thirty in the afternoon. Takeda got ready, putting on a new uniform. From today onward, it's going to be Director Takeda Ochisuita of the NSF. It still felt a little strange to him he would bear that title, belonging to that institution, given his history. But this is a rocky time. Political instability is just getting fanned by lunatics on every single side of the political institution. Left, right, centre, up, down, reverse, everywhere's the same. Only those poor bloke in the corner of the street with a syringe or the cigarette is the most spared from the crossfire. Perhaps they aren't so poor after all? But nevertheless, the newly promoted Board of Directors knew for certain that given what is projected, he could not afford to not care.

The drive to his workplace was quite arduous. After his arrival, Takeda could see those new faces, some of whom he did know, some would be under his supervision, but his priority of the moment were not them. He was to meet with the Prime Minister. A formal meeting request, Takeda already knew long ago from the moment he was onboard that this was his doing. But for this moderate and publicly genuine prime minister, the director was somewhat amused he would be willing to swing this dagger in the night.

He went off into another hallway, where he would be accompanied by the standing guards the moment they cleared authorization to the room where he was told his host was waiting for him. Normally, the guards would be the middleman to confirm his identity, but Takeda already went ahead as he knocked on the door twice with his cane.

"Board of Director Ochisuita." He declared himself

A moment passed before he was let in. The door slid open as Takeda made his way into the room, his cane before his right leg in that awkward walking pose that those without the knowledge would find. He stopped a distance away from the Prime Minister's desk, his eyes trailing across the room before landing firmly on the man he was eager to meet.

"You probably want that sofa over there for our talk Mr Prime Minister. And I'll take the same one on the opposite."
@LetMeDoStuff

The crackle of a coil. The smell of menthol and berries curled out from the woman's mouth, the vapours picked up and carried away into the air. Caitlyn was... Displeased was the right word to put it. From departmental director to squad supervisor. It was a step down and make no mistake, with the only compensation being that she was still earning the same amount as she had been back in the USA for a lot less work. Some might have taken the chance to have a bit of an R&R session; use the free time to do something new and creative, but the FBI agent had found the idea of that somewhat galling. She was more experienced than this. She knew she could be helpful, but the bosses in the NSF were paranoid beyond any reasonable level, even for a clandestine governmental department.

A figure moved through the oppressive atmosphere. Takai Shunsen. She had only really clocked him initially because he had come from Okinawa; usually the southerners were a bit more familiar with people from the US, but he was a junior agent and he had never ended up underneath her. Then the bomb had gone off and everything had gone to hell in a handbasket for a while. She was mildly surprised to see him alive, but that wasn't a bad thing- beating the odds was never something to condemn.

That being said, she noticed something different. As he approached, she'd let the vape slip from her lips, turning to address the younger man. "New chrome." She said, without much emotion put into the statement. "I hope physio hasn't been too bad. I know what the docs put you through." Her being a cyborg was well-known, and she could empathise with the man. Something of her younger, stupider self was in him right now; the self that had been lost along with two limbs. "If you want to talk about it, or want some advice on how you can make them run better, my door is open. I've not been busy what with no DADs going on." Her Japanese was workmanlike. It wasn't pretty or flowery and she certainly had one hell of an accent, but she could be understood by and understand others. It did its job.

Then, the man passed, like the smoke from a cigarette into the smog, and she would place the mouthpiece to her lips once more, drawing in the flavoured nicotine and holding it in her lungs, staring out at the city. Had she been more impatient, she would have wished for something more to do, but she knew that life had a way of pitching fastballs at you right after a lull in activity; she'd enjoy the slow times before a DAD went wrong and she was being dragged through the mud for being a foreign agent. Then, as if to give her a little taste, the lumbering form of Kaz would come into view. You could have put her on the Bear Flag and nobody would be able to tell a difference... Well, that was unfair. The bear was less liable to tear you to pieces. Maybe a bit hairier too.

"How goes it?" she would say in English. Even in Tokyo, it was a crapshoot if any Japanese people would understand you- even before 2012 they'd been somewhat insular with language, but the rising tide of nationalism had rendered a lot of people either too caught up or too afraid to speak the language if they didn't obviously look like a foreigner.

@LetMeDoStuff@Smike

---

Yukiko was having a late lunch. She sat deep in her regular ramen bar, a steaming bowl of food in front of her, and felt a certain level of concern. Her funds would not last her forever. She needed work, but she had an exclusive contract with the NSF that would leave her liable to more trouble than she wanted to get into if she started doing 'extracurricular' work without approval. She could sever the contract, but the NSF could prove to be a lucrative source of income if she held out for just a bit longer. It was a difficult, frustrating path that lay ahead of her.

Perhaps she'd just have to tighten her belt and cross her fingers. Surely, they would be returning to regular functions, and she'd be getting more than the stipend she was currently receiving- the stipend that was barely above the poverty line. She had been good for rent for two years by now, but it only took two months of missed payments before her landlord would start to kick her out, so she didn't have the luxury of just being able to coast on by like some might.

Standing from her seat, she topped her glass up again from the soda dispenser and grunted, frustrated. Money problems aside, there was also the fact that she was goddamn bored. She had been sitting on her rear, twiddling her thumbs and generally feeling useless. She didn't exactly take pleasure in killing people, it was merely another aspect of her job, but damn if she didn't prefer it to doing absolutely nothing. The noodles went down, as delicious as they always were, but her mouth moved mechanically, her tongue numb to the flavour.

Maybe she'd go to the range. At the very least, it couldn't hurt.

Upon returning to the base, there was a sickly smell of cleanliness. It didn't quite feel like the tender caressing of the hospital's freshened air, with open windows and a charming blossom-lit world just beyond the panes. Instead, it reeked of artificiality. He hadn't quite forgotten the sensation, but the smell's potency was far stronger than he'd registered for the last three years. He felt very much the same when he was first brought on board during the reconstruction and formation of the NSF. He couldn't quite tell if it was oxygen pumped into the building or vent after vent dragging the exterior world inside. Knowing their safety regulations, it was probably both. Either way, through that sick artificiality was also the stench of tobacco being smoked in the little designated zones, or the flavoured taste of other vapes. One user, closer than the rest, actually caught him mid-motion through the main hall.

At first glance, Takai barely recognised the foreigner. She clearly wasn't of native origins, something that he'd found a bit hard to accept for the longest while. Those concerns, however, were vaporised by the time his limbs were. But this one wasn't too recognisable. Her pale skin, blue hair was rather standout for the crowd, and a combination that really set her aside from her contemporaries around her. Yet her attire and presence told of a much greater individual, one among the rafters above that looked down on operators like himself. However, her understanding approach left a good impression on him.

"I appreciate the invitation. Someone told me to find assistance when needed so..." He drifted off for a moment, looking around at the large hall. He couldn't tell if anything had changed. A few small areas had been repainted and the previously broken side panel, about five metres away from the main entrance, had been repaired. After a short pause, he looked back at her. "So do you deal with the returning augs, then?"

"Not officially, no." Caitlyn would respond, idly clicking a button on the vapourizer in her hand. "But, well, it's my area of expertise," she offered a small smile, "and an area I have personal experience with." She gestured noncommittally below her waist.

Her workmanlike mannerisms helped ease any awkwardness that Takai would have faced. It was easy to work with, and helped reinforce that despite his absence there were still accommodating individuals who took their line of duty seriously, even if she had less personal stake in the matter. And as she beckoned his eyes to look below her waist, he imagined she had hinted towards her own covered up replacements. There was no shame behind it, at least on the surface. Takai held his own self-hatred towards his own, but that was something for a more private conversation.

"Noted. Better you than a bureaucrat." He still wasn't too sure of who she was and how she fit into the system against the Jinrai, and so he steered his trust aside momentarily. With a lowered voice, he then propped the question about that which had plunged him into the temporary spotlight. "What was the fallout like here after the incident?"

"I wouldn't ask me." Caitlyn shook her head. "I'm not Japanese, so the rest of the Bs and As do their damndest to keep me out of the loop. Frustrating as all hell."

"I guess that was to be expected." He felt his eyes drift off around the room a bit more. At the least, she seemed honest about her answer and with the flow of information he'd expected anyone except the highest authorities to be floundered by the internal crisis. Takai had squandered a lot of his hope in the politically chaotic climate he'd found himself at the frontlines of. Bombs, raids and investigations had found the members of the NSF's Central Command on the verge of being stretched thin in Tokyo alone, whilst the Jinrai competitors would've certainly held operating posts beyond the neon metropolis. And with it, there was little information on how the Jinrai fully staffed its leading figures. Many deserters had either come empty handed with information, shown great stubbornness in unveiling any intel or offed themselves at the first sign of capture. He was suddenly taken out of his strategic muse when she spoke again.

"Ah. My apologies, I forgot to introduce myself. Caitlyn Ellesworth, formerly of the FBI. Now I'm a squad support manager."

"FBI?" Takai staggered back into the conversation. "I was aware that there had been a select few foreign collaborators but I'd never thought it'd be to this posting." He began to extend his hand, but retracted it when he saw that it was his own cybernetic one. Instead, he swapped out the greeting with his surviving arm. "The pleasure is mine. I'll stop by your office at some point to discuss the means of my schedule and returning work pattern."

"As far as I'm aware it wasn't; I think they dumped me into B. I was higher ranked back in the States." She didn't let any more emotion seep into her face, but when he drew his hand back she shook her head. "Use the replacement. Makes it feel more like you."

"I'll use it when it proves that it won't endanger me in the field." A shallow disdain sprouted from his downpoured lips. He looked to the left, and then to the right, before letting his hand drop at the failure to connect the handshake. He knew that his reluctance would've been a disappointment, if part and parcel to the process of true recovery, but Takai's loathing ferocity towards his unnatural limbs proved only to be an enhancement of his guilty, shame and trauma left from that fateful explosion. Before anything else could be said, he saw a familiar face begin to push through the crowds, drifting toward him as some sort of awkward husk in a sea of busied bodies. He flashed a glance back at Caitlyn and respectfully nodded at his superior by rank, age and external experience. "Excuse me."

With his attention now drawn towards the long-awaited reunification with Kaz, the woman who'd been there when it had happened, he moved relatively slowly as she beelined straight for him. In her eyes there was, for lack of a better term, a strong absence of anything and everything. She walked with prowess and exhumed it with her figure. Even though it had been three months, he still found himself a little surprised at how much raw power she really showcased. And when she sauntered over, he was glad that it was from the perspective of an ally than that of an adversary.

"Hello Takai, glad to see you moving around again." Straight to the point, as ever? The sentiment was more than flattering at least. Surely, her Japanese had improved quite a bit and her accent had faded a little more than last time. The quick extension of her hand, accompanied by the dead-panned stare that she couldn't shake off, left him hanging on returning the gesture. And, just like with Caitlyn, he moved into the shake with his real limb. Flesh met flesh, and he'd finally returned the greeting.

"More or less." He paused. For once, he'd taken notice of his much more...well, reserved personality. He wasn't as quick to the conversation, speaking with a lot more emotion and tone as he'd once had, but kept himself steady and sturdy in presentation. Perhaps it wasn't just his appearance that had gone through a transformation. Maybe it was the haircut... "Glad to see you're still yourself."

"Good to hear. Didn't know if you were coming back or not." The bear in human form cracked her knuckles with a lazy grunt, shifting in place as if agitated by flies. "I tried to get a letter to you but I didn't know if it went through." She smiled grimly at the mention of her unchanged personality. "Yes. Very fortunate."

"I got the letters." He nodded up to her. Really, Takai had taken more of a reality strike in those short few sentences about his social circle. It was minimal - broken, even - outside of the professional relationship he held with Iha and Miho. On the verge of that realisation, he let out a very faint smile, reciprocating her grim one. "I...was very glad to have them. I got a good few covert ones from members of staff. Very formal. Yours was...a nice change of voice."

Stuck in the little realm of thought, he looked back at her. Up close, he felt a little less caught in her imposing glance than from a distance or on approach. It was something to warm up to. She had his back when she could during the explosion and, whilst she couldn't save him from the blast, she'd assisted her rescuers to her ability. And, all things considered, he's suspected that she'd stayed relatively out of dodge from the watchful eyes of her superiors, seeing that her vulnerability in the field at that specific moment could not have boded well for any traitorous intent. At least at in that moment. There wasn't a day going by where a black-mirror glass didn't profile each operator without their consent.

"How've you been keeping?"

Kaz blinked once at the confirmation, mulling over her words as she was wont to do. "That's good then. I assumed that all your mail was just going to be blacked out before it got to you." The cigarette dropped from her mouth and was stomped out beneath her heel, ground away into a useless powder without care for regulation or custom. "Same as usual. I'm either angry or sad or just stuck existing."

"Well..." Looking off to the side, he saw Caitlyn making her way over. She seemed fixed on the much larger woman than she did himself, and he immediately took it to himself to give them the space to talk. The last thing he needed to do upon arrival was flutter around hopelessly until something would happen. Until then, he was in a tight social spot. "We can keep it that way. Things aren't going to be good here, I feel."

And just as Caitlyn closed in on Kaz, Takai had left the scene with relative silence. He didn't really look that invested emotionally in anything. A strong negligence for his previous energy had fallen flat in the midst of the new world, new month and new body. He took the plunge further into the facility, following throughout the halls and labyrinthian design until he ended up somewhere else. An armoury, he thought? Somewhere where lockers were, but nothing like a changing room. It was relatively empty, save for a few operators of either gender and status. Seemed like a place where people equipped their gear and did self-maintenance on it. There were always rooms he'd never been in. The facility expanded on good occasion. And the three years he'd spent serving the NSF had left him sick at how deep the facility ran. He wasn't sure if anyone else there knew him, or even cared to do so, so he sat down on the bench and took off his jacket, awkwardly taking the shallow corner to pretend to inspect his arm. In reality, he wanted to rip it off. But what good would that do?

When the door slid open, he turned his head over to the beating rhythm of cane-foot-cane. He kept a straight expression for the duration of his arrival and introduction. Ah, the Board of Administration - at least one of them. Mr Ochisuita: a man of many straight lines and black ink splodges seen only by the keenest of eyes. Through and through, he had been one of the most interesting assets placed at the helm of the organisation, with his extremely direct connection to the very force they were tasked with countering. It was a risk, and a gamble, but men like Konno Mashai were eager to see where things went. Never tried, never learnt. And if he lost, he lost. It was how things were, and he'd come to peace with the lottery of life, politics, espionage and malpractice. It was important for a man who came out of nowhere, popularising the steadfast reconstruction of Japan back to its pre-2012 self, a nation with an identity.

As expected, Mr Ochisuita took a collected lead of the processions. Though Mashai ruled the Kingdom, this was the director's castle. And, most importantly, it was respectful to that of his fellow workmen and figures in the struggle against the Jinrai. Any cameraman would have slaughtered thousands to have seen the noir tension lift as soon as the door slid shit behind the director, and with the instruction to take a seat, the proceedings began as intended.

"Mr Ochisuita; it's wonderful to be able to meet on such short notice." As he moved to the seat, just before he placed himself upon the throne, he held out a stiff hand to be shaken with a half smile on his face. He followed with the usual formalities. "How's Anya?"

"We've just talked last night. She's doing great." Takeda answered, meeting the handshake with a firm grip from his other hand. "How about yours, Mr Prime Minister?"

"Please, Mr Mashai is more than enough. And she is doing well enough, though even after three years she still can't quite adjust to life in Tokyo. She hasn't quite enjoyed the looming threat but takes it each day with a smile." As the two separated their grips, he finally sat down in his seat and let his head tilt up toward the blackened ceiling. The polish of the room was much to admire and he did enjoy the astuteness of its pristine perfection. All perfect for the means of ensuring its members knew that a 'job-well done' meant flawlessness. "Mr Ochisuita, as I said, I am more than happy to have been able to meet you on this busy schedule but I think it's about time we get the simple matter out of the way first. Please, do update me on the routines of the NSF these last few months? Have we gotten any closer to finding any insurgent cell within our ranks?"

There was a brief silence as he reached into his suit-jacket and pulled out a small, aluminium flask, unscrewed its lid and doused his tongue in its bitter yet refreshing sustenance. It smelled rich, at least more than the average beverage, but nothing too extravagant. After all, what would a middle-man have without his middle-of-the-spectrum drink?

"Certainly." Takeda reached into his suit pocket in the meantime for the tablet. "Data is ready on the mainframe for viewing."

He cleared his throat as he waited for Mashai to be on the same page as him. "Our internal investigation yielded some results. There are some unrelated cases of corruption within the government here and there like insider trading or electoral manipulation, but the more interesting information unearthed is the man called Honda Iwanami."

Scrolling to the man in question, Takeda continued. "Interrogations yielded not only his affiliation with Jinrai figures, but also the fact that he also has links to a tech company called Ansoft. It's an American-based company with a track record of foreign interference for resources. We have yet to discover if this company is involved in providing the Jinrai with the equipment or intel to carry out their operations or not, including the coup. However, we also have identities of the Jinrai officials in charge as well. More information can be extracted from them if we proceed forward from here."

At the conclusion of his update, Konno looked studied the tablet and Honda Iwanami. It wasn't a name he was inherently familiar with, but the practices of of Jinrai affiliates to the outside world was something he'd expected, but not fully prepared for. And more so, the existence of Ansoft was something he had definitely known about. Their foreign activities weren't to his best knowledge but he knew that they spelled a great deal of trouble. The nationalists, ironically, outsourcing to gaining ammunition, weapons, equipment and potential enhancements pulled the heavier strategic and logistical advantage away from the NSF.

Konno frowned and leant back in his seat, pressing his fingers together just before his nose. It was a lot to take in, but it hadn't overwhelmed him. It further solidified the unfavoured myth some of the NSF operators held: the Jinrai were nothing more than ideologues that were driven by their fantasies over reason. And whilst he still considered them far too unreasonable to be welcomed in Japan, let alone NeoTokyo, seeing that untrue notion collapse further made a lot more sense. They wouldn't let their ultranationalist ways block them from their means to continue the fight. Victory was going to be achieved and by means that were both logistical, strategic and most importantly in favour of the public's perception. Despite the shadowy nature of the war, each faction had set in stone the pretences to if it went live in the mainstream world - and whoever was exposed would want and need all the cards they could play to win the love of the public.

"They are but caged rats, Mr Ochisuita. And like trapped rodents they'll take any handouts and deals they can with the outside world until they are strong enough to gnaw their way outside. I'll review your accepted means of squandering this in a moment." As he set aside the director's new and exciting piece of information, he reached into his own suit jacket and pulled out his own tablet. After fiddling for a second with the screen's slow start-up, he placed it on the table and waited for a short digital document to appear on-screen. He sat back in his chair and let it present itself.

"As for you, Mr Ochisuita, I'd like to bring forth a little bit of extra information." He took another swig from his flask and tucked it away back into his jacket, clearing his throat once it had cleared his tongue. Suddenly, a unceremonious woman, in her 30s, appeared on screen. Whilst the picture wasn't too flattering itself, it had clearly been taken from a series of off-side official documents, espionage reserves or paparazzi takes. "I'd like to introduce another individual to our scope. Michiko Sato, a relatively small official within my cabinet. She once tried her hand at ascending to Govenor of NeoTokyo, but hasn't seen too much success. Either way, she's been relatively under my radar until as of recent. She's disappeared from view, gone without a trace, as far as the police are aware."

Konno swiped through the tablet's presentation, bringing up a small corporate logo. It wasn't anything exciting nor was it anything infamous to the eyes of the NSF. Something with barely the notoriety to be recognised outside of those who dealt with such business models and products as they produced. Kizou Corp.

"See, a personal investigation by my security detail came across a lot of links to her involvement in Kizou Corp, a localised mid-grade corporation who deals in small-arms manufacturing and, as of recent, research into lightly armoured vehicles. Standard practice. As we investigated into the corporation, we have evidence heavily suggesting that one of their factories and warehouses has been supplying the Jinrai since 2029, mainly in ammunition and the occasional firearm that won't alter their product inventory too much. Ms. Sato has been making many encrypted phone calls with them, which we've yet to really uncover." With a long and arduous breath, he looked on to the director with a straight glare, showing that he was in fact serious with his next propositions.

"Mr Ochisuita - I'm granting you temporary special powers for these circumstances. I can forward over some more documents before I leave, but here this carefully. You, and the Board of Administrators, are to allocate reasonable resources into looking into what I present to you today, until you succeed or until something of greater importance shows itself - from this I hope you will also take action against the factory and ensure it isn't arming our adversaries. As for Ansoft, I'm willing to give you one chance at a 'strike' against them at an opportune moment. I suggest, greatly, that you catch them when meeting with the Jinrai as to lessen the impacts, but if no opportunity arises then I trust you will find ways to see into their influences and shut down their interests in the Jinrai to the best of your ability."

He paused, standing up from his seat and adjusting his suit jacket. He cleared his throat for a second time and stretched, retrieving the tablet from the desk and sliding it back into his pocket. For a short second, he smiled the same kind smile he did for his speeches, public rallies and broadcasted appearances. It wasn't one of deviance, but of an ounce of trust.

"Keep up the internal investigation. And let your subordinates know of what the NSF must do. I'll send over the same funding we always do, and maybe a small bonus from my own pocket," before he made his way outside of the door, he turned and smiled back at Takeda, "so long as you don't tell my wife."

It had only been a couple of days at work for Yukako so far. This meant that, frankly, she was still getting used to her new accommodations - most of her stuff was still in its boxes. Well, no, a lot of her stuff was in the hands of the Japanese government, actually. Part of the moving in process, at least for her specific situation - security or something, since she was technically on probation for the role. Job stuff, a probation period had happened with her initial police training in Kyoto. It did suck, but oh well, her things were coming through to her, except the engineering bits that had already been transferred to the proper bay in the NSF compound, which was really the point she'd been trying to reach in the first place.

Her new living quarters were on-site. Like, literally in the NSF base, right near all of the buildings. You could get pretty much anywhere in there with a few minutes of walking, and she liked to jog or even run places when she could. In fairness, that didn't factor in clearance so much, and for a C-Class operator on security probation, that clearance was surprisingly limited. Main hall and lounge; shooting range, gym and locker rooms; and in her case as well as a few others, the engineering bay. Those, at least, were what she normally went to. Actually, there were probably other places she could go too, but those were the main ones. Maybe she'd use the engineering bay resources to set up further education later on.

Getting to the main hall took a rather short span of time, was basically the point she wanted to make to herself. It was an activity hub, anyway, with quite a few operatives coming and going at any given moment. Even with just a brief scan, she saw, who was that again, Itou Itsuki- no, wait, that'd be Itou-san, or probably Itou-senpai, like her parents always said. Though actually, he didn't mind, did he? A lot of people minded very much indeed, she didn't, she seemed to recall he didn't either? She'd have to ask again. Same with Mrs. Caitlyn Ellesworth, Ellesworth-sensei; and Miss Kazankova Bykov, Kaz-senpai; and Shunsen-sensei, Mr. Takai Shunsen. But uh, Shunsen-sensei was leaving at this stage, so that left Mrs. Ellesworth and Miss Bykov. Miss Kaz. She could just ask, and she went over to do just that, and also greet them.

'Good morning, Ellesworth-sensei, Bykov-senpai,' she called to them, smiling and waving energetically as she approached. 'It's nice to see you both today! How are you doing?' She used Japanese at first, then switched to English for the basic smalltalk that people liked for some reason, since these guys weren't Japanese. It was actually a little ironic that her English was a bit better than her Japanese - it had faded a touch, but it was her primary language for about twelve years- no, French was, honestly. That still made her tri-lingual by default, though, which everybody loved on a resume, which was probably partly why she'd been let into the NSF too perhaps? Or the police. Both. Had she walked in on a conversation? Shit, she hoped not.

_{Interaction: NPC Engineer Bekku Fumiko
Mention: Tanaka Yukako}

---

The Engineering Bay was like Mikasa’s home from home, in a sense, because she enjoys everything in this bay. She walked up to one of the other engineers in the bay, also working on the black box. ” I have special projects for the field agents' upgrades or repairs of their gear, soo, how long will this take?” Mikasa questioned the other engineer that she walked up to. It’s a bit odd for her to walk up to another person to talk to herself a lot. She waited for the engineer to answer her.

Bekku Fumiko the Engineer, which Mikasa walked up to stared at the blunt engineer and sighed. Always, Always, annoying can’t really take the constant annoyance of Mikasa’s bluntness. It’s just too much for her most of the time. ” Mikasa, can you please take your task seriously… it’s not like anyone would be happy about you constantly want to help yourself to your time. We got a black box to crack, which came from the higher-ups.” Fumiko said, annoyed. She gets a bit frustrated all the time at Mikasa.

Mikasa stared directly at Fumiko and giggled at what she had said. It’s like the bluntness has really gotten Fumiko really badly. ” Aww, you are no fun, Fumiko. But I suppose I could spare a couple of however long this black box will need to crack. Guess you overheard me?” Mikasa asked Fumiko curiously, with a smile on her face. She’s hyper-focused on working as long as it's worthwhile, and her bluntness is great to what she likes.

Fumiko sighed heavily and annoyed at what Mikasa did; it why they let her alone to do her type of thing, but the higher-ups wanted all engineers on deck for this cracking. She nodded to Mikasa’s question, and frustratingly puts her hand on her forehead. ” I guess I should be grateful for your work ethic, but please, can you not talk to yourself out loud again?” Fumiko asked with a slightly impatient look at her.

Mikasa laughs at the mistaken joke that Fumiko had said because it's like one of her quirks while working. ” Fumiko, can we agree to disagree on that? Because I cannot stop myself doing that, it makes me feel like I am in a workshop by myself, but I am not here.” Mikasa responded to her question in the bluntest way possible. It’s one of her problems, but it's how she does everything. However, she moved back to her little work desk in the Engineering Bay before Fumiko could even respond to it. It was a bit rude, but politeness working on projects that require multiple people do not make friends if someone is competitive, which Fumiko definitely was. She’s always good at frustrating Fumiko because their personalities don’t mix at all. But not a lot of people’s personalities mix with her that well. ’ Oh yeah, I remember that one new girl, I think it's Tanaka-chan, working on her Laser weapon. She’s definitely different from all the other engineers, makes me actually like her more than Ms. Bekku.’ Mikasa thought with a smile at knowing Tanaka-chan has her third day today.

---

_{Interaction: @Lady Selune Caitlyn Ellesworth, @Smike Kazankova Bykov, and @BCTheEntity Tanaka Yukako
Mention: @LetMeDoStuff Shunshun Takai}

---

Naomi decided to finish up her green tea drink in the Lounge and finally get up since her father completely ruined the mood. She sighed deeply, hoping some interaction with the other operators can be acquired. In the back of her mind, she did remember that Takai was returning to work, thankfully. ’ I do wonder about Shunshun-Sensei, how he’s doing after that disaster happened two to three months ago.’ Naomi thought with a slight smile because Takai was a great operator in the NSF. She moved her green teacup near the lounge's sink, cleaned it up, and set it up in one of the cabinets to use it instead. It took her a while to get back to her seat to get her stuff with her in the HQ. Because she wanted to get some interactions that aren’t with her father because his constant mental bombardments are definitely not helping her. She sighed deeply and looked towards the ground, which afterward she decides to walk to the Main Hall.

In the back of Naomi’s head, she had wondered why the Drai Division would give her a break from the shocks unless it means they want to augment her further. It caused her to slightly shiver down her spine because the three augments she does have to scare her to no end. ’ Please, Naomi get yourself in the game… And stop trying to figure out what the Drai Division will do to you...’ Naomi thought in all the whole thing scares her. If anything, she hopefully will have a good time talking with someone else. However, Naomi stopped before entering the Main Hall to see if anyone was there and noticed a crowd, Kaz, Caitlyn, and Tanaka-chan, the new girl. She sighed slightly and decided to walk up to them, which she realized that Tanaka-chan did start talking to the two of them, not realizing they were in the middle of a conversation.

Naomi shook her head in slight disappointment at Tanaka-chan’s approaching, interrupting Kaz and Caitlyn's conversation. She sighed slightly and waved towards Caitlyn and Kaz, with a slight look of why are you interrupting a conversation towards Tanaka-chan. ” I am sorry for the interruption, but did Shunshun-sensei pass through here? I’m also sorry for missing him if he did pass through here. Also, Hello Tanaka-chan, it's nice to see you. I think this is like your third day here?” Naomi questioned Caitlyn and Tanaka-chan primarily in Japanese since English isn’t her strong suit. She did hear Tanaka-chan speaking in English, which makes sense for someone who lived in another country. Mikasa is quite great with multiple languages, kind of a bit jealous of how much happier Mikasa is with her family. Therefore, this would be the first interaction that she would have with Tanaka-chan, but she did see her around here and there when she joined.

Naomi had at least knowledge of her colleagues a sorry for interrupting a conversation between them. It seems like Tanaka-chan has some learning not to do that, but that comes with time. ’ Interesting to say, I think Tanaka-chan has a laser weapon, which is pretty different from using in the field.’ Naomi thought with a slight smile on her face since she sometimes enjoys seeing others' weapons. Mikasa constantly talks about weapons or upgrades to them and upgrades the Sun Corporation Augmented Erasure Blade. Still, it frustrates her about Mikasa’s constant tabs on her. Naomi is reminded of what she had to see Mikasa for, but it would be better after this conversation.

It took Itsuki some time until he finished his cigarette, one of the very few bad habits he acquired through the years and due to the tribulations he had to overcome. Fortunately, it's been a few years since he managed to overcome his addiction, substituting the normal cigarettes for low nicotine content ones and finally, for the slim, nicotine-free cigarettes that normal smokers seemed to hate so much.
In the time he spent watching the people come and go in the lobby, he realized how serious the NSF was with their recruitment. They seemed to have experts of the most varied areas among their agents. Perhaps the most surprising part was that there were quite a few foreigners as well. Still, doing nothing was starting to get boring. Since he had nothing to do, he might as well go to the shooting range to test the weapons the NSF got specifically for him and he was so eager to try.

According to the instructions he was received before, unlike the rest of his things, his weapons would stay in the armory, both for safety and maintenance. In case he wanted to use them in the shooting range or just get ready for a mission, he would have just to request for them at the armory. Showing his ID to the man who was in charge of the armory, he asked for his personal weapons, both of them as he nodded towards the shooting range. It didn't take long, especially since the staff member in question seemed to know exactly where it was. Getting the weapons case the man had put in the desk, Itsuki gave a slight bow in a silent thanks as he made his way inside the shooting range and in one of the booths. He could barely contain the grin in his face as he opened the case and was greeted by both of the weapons the NSF had given him. A VSS-3000 and a Welrod MK3. Reliable, effective and dead silent, their simplicity betrayed how deadly they were in trained hands. Having no cybernetic parts, aim assist or anything of the kind that could be jammed or fail.

"Now that's something..." he said, whistling as he got the pistol, feeling it in his hands before he checked the magazine and pointed down the range to the small target about 35m away from him. He took his time getting the feel of the pistol, it's weight and how it behaved on his hands before he took two, quick shots. One of them hitting the target straight in the center of the chest and the other in the head. The aim was on point and the recoil was almost non-existent. That said, what was perhaps the most satisfying part of that was that the noise made by the pistol was almost non-existent. The combination of subsonic rounds and the integrated suppressor made it as quiet as a whisper. Even though it had a reduced range, it would serve perfectly well for him.

Laying the pistol on the case again after emptying it's magazine, he moved for the rifle. Even though he was eager to try the pistol as well, the main dish was undoubtedly the VSS. A retake on a classical weapon, it was everything he imagined it was as he took it in his hands. Compact and agile to maneuver but still comfortable to wield. From the hybrid scope to the integrated suppressor and the heavy, subsonic rounds, it was truly the closest thing that one would get to the ideal weapon to the role Itsuki had. Pushing the buttons to adjust the distance of the target, putting it at around 100m, he aimed at it's head and shot two times in quick succession. The absolute lack of muzzle flash and noise made a wide grin appear on Itsuki's face and the size of the hole in the target made him even more satisfied. He looked just like a small child playing with a new toy in the range.

The loud cacophony of shots inside the gun range was a familiar comfort for Chris. The metallic smell of spent brass from the rounds being fired in lanes beside his and the ever-present smell of smoke distracted Chris from the things he can’t control. He’d been calling his son every day for three weeks and has only managed to get him on the phone a handful of times. His ex wasn’t much help either ever engaged with her new tech manager boyfriend, the POG piece of shit. His home life has been fractured for years, complaining about it won’t fix anything, but he can’t say it didn’t infuriate the hell out of him.

At the range, everything fell into place for Chris, He had full control of everything in his area. The feel and weight of his Kimber sitting firm in his hand, the way the trigger pull felt as he aimed downrange, and the familiar sway of his paper target when his bullets found their marks 20 meters away. He’d been at the range all day, the closest he could get to his guns since he’s been in Japan. “Temporary relegation to base duty due to your weak grasp of the Japanese language.” Yui had told in the friendliest voice the woman could manage. A load of bullshit Chris thought and the thought was reinforced when he met Kaz. The woman was a bear, never smiling, constantly brooding. He liked her well enough, another person beside Yui who spoke English, but he was pretty damn sure she didn’t have a ‘strong grasp on the Japanese language’ He wasn’t even sure she was the type to *speak* while on an operation, Kaz seemed more like a shoot first ask questions never type. It’s one of the things he found endearing about her.

Chris was born at night, but not last night. Best he figured, the fact he’s a foreigner with a history of mercenary work is what makes the powers that be hesitant to send him out. Yui Kategawa was a member of Blackwatch as well, but she’s Japanese and has a sense of honor and love of country that Chris lacked. Still, they pay him well, and he’s been in Japan three months already. In for a penny in for a pound. Chris had been attending classes to learn the critical Japanese he needed to operate. So far things have gone well, his grasp of the language going from almost Nil to knowing phrases he could shout at people just before shooting them for not complying.

Chris had finished firing his guns for the day, but he didn’t want to quite leave to go about the monotony that would be the rest of his day. He’d pack away his guns, and step away from his slot in the range. People watching would be a good enough way to spend the rest of his day, and he loved watching other people work with their guns. A woman with an interesting series of line tattoos running down her arms caught his attention first as she fired her sidearm downrange. Over the last few months he'd come to know her as Dai, but she was scarce enough that he'd never seen her in the Range before.

“Good form, maybe this little outfit isn’t doomed after all.” Chris mused aloud, in English. A grin on his face as he watched the woman do her gun drills.

"How are you going to prove anything if you don't use it?" She said to the retreating form of the man. Ah well. He had said he would talk later. She'd hold him to that, even as she turned towards the bearlike figure next to her.

Kaz hadn't noticed the other American at all, slipping right past her as if she no more substantial than smoke in the wind. Whoops. People sometimes got touchy about that sort of thing, best to address it quickly. "Hey Miss C. I'm doing alright, you?" There, problem solved.

Technically she probably should have been speaking with a little more deference since Caitlyn was kind of her boss, but Kaz was more or less tapped out of social awareness. Juggling two different conversations stretched the limits of patience, made it hard to focus on subtle cues. If Cait had a problem with her lack of subservient jargon then that was just too goddamn bad for the both of them.

"Have they been keeping you busy with ops?"

Keep it simple, ask innocuous questions that prompted the other person to ramble, that was the trick to making socialization bearable.

"No," Caitlyn said with a shake of her head. "The opposite, in fact. No DADs and I'm being kept out of the loop. Quite the opposite of busy. How about you though- doing anything on the side?"

"Not really. I usually stick around HQ, only really go out for cigarettes and things like that." She scuffed at the ground with her boot as she spoke, pacing herself as she always did when speaking. "I wish they'd send me out on something already. The waiting is by far the worst part of this job."

That wasn't true and Kaz knew it. There was always a cycle: spend time bored out of her skull while she waited for some raid to be organized, go out and get angry while the injection system pumped distilled hate through her heart, come home and curse her existence bitterly until it was time to start the whole thing over again. No part of the process got easier with repetition but she could at least anticipate them. No doubt she'd be mocking herself for wishing away the security of NSF headquarters the next time she was being shot at.

"Enjoy the quiet whilst you can. Doing things is good, but there was just a dirty bomb set off- I have a feeling that storms are on the horizon."

"I guess I better." Quiet, loud, whispers, screaming, what did it matter? This sort of job was unpleasant no matter the situation. Fighting a dirty war against rogue military elements could never be anything but unpleasant, the sort of job that was only done by idiots who bought into patriotism or idiots who were willing to kill for money.

"Guess we can hope that the next op will go smoother than the last."

"That's the only thing we can hope for really." Caitlyn knew when she wasn't wanted. "See you on the field Kaz." Reaching to take another drag, she found herself interrupted by another figure addressing her... And with Japanese honourifics to boot. "Please, C-Sama will do perfectly fine, if 'san' is too much for me." Caitlyn was struggling to put a name to a face as the woman addressed her, and failed even more as she switched to English.

"Begging your pardon, have we met before? You know my name but alas I'm unable to put one to you. My deepest apologies." Probably best to resort to the Japanese habit of extreme politeness in this case... And then, another voice. Asking about Shunsen. "I saw Mr. Takai pass through here earlier, yes," Caitlyn would respond, first in English, and then correcting herself to Japanese. All this switching between languages had her brain confused, but then came the mention of the woman who had addressed her first being new.

"Is that true? If so, welcome to the NSF, Tanaka... San? No, Kun?" Using these suffixes felt strange to her still.

A collab with @Smike Talking to @BCTheEntity and @Landaus Five-One

---

Yukiko moved into the range, a small presence among so many bigger, louder ones. Moving to her locker, she opened it up slowly and looked at the equipment laid out therein. An easy choice for now- some warming up with her revolver. Taking the loaders with her, she found her position, loaded her gun, and set the range distance to twenty metres. Keeping the revolver close to her body, she fired off three shots in rapid succession, watching as they punched solid holes into the centre of the paper target's mass. Pulling it forward, she replaced the target, set the distance again, and repeated the progress. Good. She still had her aim.

Something abut the man next to her stuck out though- she had seen his target bloom with damage, the rifle in his hands... But no barks from the gun itself. She swung the chamber out and let the empty casings tumble down onto the metal surface of the gallery, before placing her Mateba down and turning to the man next to her.

"Excuse me," She said with a quick bow. "That's a rather nice gun you have there. May I ask what it is, to make so little noise with its shots?"

Talking to @13Org

Although Itsuki did notice that someone had approached the range right next to him but he was so entertained with his new rifle that he hadn't given much attention. Other than recognizing the sound of a revolver being shot, he was too entertained to pay attention to his surroundings. That was until the person next to him stopped shooting the revolver and then a feminine voice suddenly called him, asking about the rifle he was using, specifically the noise, or rather, the lack of, which made a smile immediately appear on Itsuki's expression.

After taking off the magazine, emptying the chamber and doing the whole unloading and clearing procedure, he finally turned towards the woman, showing her the weapon while keeping it pointed towards the range.

"Yo! The NSF were quite generous with the personal equipment, weren't they?" Itsuki said with a chuckle, greeting the woman with an amicable smile and a nod.

"No need to be so formal though, we're probably going to see each other quite a lot. I'm Itsuki. Pleasure to meet you." he said with a carefree smile.

"Regarding the weapon... Do you remember the old Russian VSS Vintorez? From way back then? This one is a modernized version of the same rifle. The VSS-3000. It is rather simple compared to more modern rifles, but it's exactly this simplicity that makes this gun so reliable and effective on the right hands. Being capable of both semi auto and fully automatic fire, it is an extremely versatile rifle... that is, if you can deal with the lack of cybernetics, aim assist & etc of course. It's not a bad thing though, since EMPs and jammers are completely useless against it." He said, showing the weapon to the woman.

"Subsonic, heavy 9x39mm ammunition. Coupled with the integrated suppressor makes the gun as quiet as a whisper... While still leaving quite a hole on the target." he said, with a chuckle and a proud expression as he nodded towards the target down the range.

"Go ahead, give it a try. I promise you'll love it." he said, with an amused expression as he handed the gun to the woman, waiting for her to grab it and then passing a full magazine to her.

After handing her the rifle, Itsuki simply kept watching her reaction if she choose to shoot it, with an amused expression on his face.

"If you're more into handguns though, I also have a really fun little toy for you to test as well." he said with a mischievous smirk as he grabbed the Welrod MK3 from the case, putting it on the table in front of them.

---

"Of course sir. Men like us are all subjects to our beloved."

Takeda let out a low chuckle at the wife joke. In a way yes. Men like him were bound by responsibility. Yet it was never a regret. Having a family is a great thing, yet many did not want to pay the cost for it. And that's perfectly why they never got involved in this political mess that he was in, nor did they ever get anywhere significant enough as citizens to pose a threat to these parasites of the country. The appeal for that kind of life was great for Takeda, but for someone like him, he had work to do. And to that, like a daimyo to the shogun, an accomplishment was promised.

"But yes, when Wednesday comes, you need only ask." The Director bowed politely but firmly as Mashai left the room. Three days. He only needed one, if everything goes perfectly to plan. But then again, this team was new. Freshly formed, they contained a surprising amount of foreign agents or mixed-nationality. It is a cause for some raised eyebrows, but Takeda found nationalities pretty much irrelevant, only national interests. One of those members that Takeda found particular curiosity was this former FBI agent. She was to serve as Squad Operational Manager, which means she would share some degree of control over what personnel Takeda had at his disposal. Her professional dossier is impressive, but her medical history is the true glimpse to this woman's strength and character. Takeda more or less found something more than just mission completion to look forward to.

Once the details of the task was fully downloaded to his personal devices, Takeda quickly gathered his accessories and filed out of the office. He made his way up to the main lounge, where some of his operatives were lingering for a good conversation, his cane accompanied his every step, in the same rhythmic pattern of one normal step one sluggish tap of wood on the floor. The most distinguished fraction of his identity, and yet to outsiders, it somehow gave a strange and mildly unsettling vibe. Like there was something crawling behind their backs. This unassuming middle-aged man with his chiseled face and a limp in his leg, there was definitely something to it more than that.

He eyed some of the people around the main lounge with a stern and steely gaze before making his way into the briefing room. There, after uploading the data onto the machine to be displayed, a message was broadcasted to every room in the building with his voice.

"All Operational Personnel. Report to the briefing room with your name and rank as soon as possible. I await your introduction."

There were too many people both in the lounge and centered around Kaz. It was like dealing with pigeons: the first one had shown up then a second and a third and before too long there'd be a whole flock of them cooing, cawing, ruffling their feathers and making nuisances of themselves. Cait had stumbled onto the conversation as Takai was making his exit, trading pointless questions and observations about the bureaucracy of paramilitary life. Annoying yes but bearable if only because she was another English speaker.

Then it was Yukako, the new girl Kaz was only barely aware of. In all honesty she had registered not as a face or name but as a presence. There had been an empty room that Kaz sometimes walked past and maybe two days ago it had suddenly not been empty. Yukako had addressed her using one of those stupid honorifics that had little reason to exist and it took all of Kaz's will not to snap at her. "Hey. I'm doing okay."

Look at her playing nice with annoying strangers, following the rules instead of just snapping at the shorter woman.

There wasn't time to follow up before Naomi shoved her way into the conversation. This new interruption was handled with noticeably less grace than the previous two. "Who the fuck is Shunshun?" She asked in English, unwilling to make the shift into her non native language."Do you mean Takai? Cuz you just missed him."

Who even was this woman? Naomi something or other, one of the mega billionaires that were hanging around the NSF like fucking tourists. Why two obscenely wealthy women were pretending to be soldiers Kaz would never understand. Dai at least had a military history but as far she knew this socially inept little heiress (and little was the perfect word for her) had worked as a glorified security guard."Next time can you wait before just barging in?"

You dumb cunt.

The last part went unsaid thanks to sheer effort. Kaz turned her focus back on the new girl and went on with the introductions. "So Yu, what's your job around here?"
-----


Going to the range was a formality at this point in Daiyu's life. With all her years of practice and the highly expensive augments crammed into her body it was simply impossible to miss a paper target unless she wanted to. The sterile noncombat conditions lacked any distractions to contend with or civilians to watch out for, no tricky cover that might deflect a stray bullet into some poor noncombatant. Everything that could have made the situation interesting had stripped away so that there was no point in bothering.

So why even show up? Because at the moment there was simply nothing better she could be doing. The National Security Force had one major similarity with her careers in the Yakuza and JSDF: there was a lot of hurry up and wait. She had to be on base on the off-chance there was some need for a sniper and until there was some need for a sniper she'd be stuck on base. Target practice was something to pass the time and if Japan was paying for the bullets there was no reason not to use them.

She could have sought out some of her fellow agents but what was the point in that? Most of them were boring, straight laced career military types who had bigger boots than they did brains. There were a few interesting ones here and there but most of them fell into the same category of blind patriotism or pressing need to feel like they were making a difference.

So Dàiyù kept shooting. The rest of the magazine was emptied while she was watched by one of the Americans that were infesting the NSF like rats. Which one was he, Chris? Yes that was him, the Army man with poor Japanese. Well if a Yankee likes my shooting then it must be incredible."

She had responded in perfect English, her accent vaguely New Englander thanks to the influence of a tutor from Massachusetts."How's it going, Rambo?" Typical American special forces guys got American action hero names, she didn't make the rules.

The Director's voice came as unexpected but not unwelcome surprise, Dai slipping her pistol back into its holster before motioning to Chris. "Walk and talk with me? Im curious about why someone would join the NSF only to spend three months riding the bench." She chuckled as if to show the jab had been in good faith. Chris was an interesting one, an outlier due to his nationality. If Dai could figure out some of what made him tick the day would be a success.

@MK2 @Landaus Five-One @BCTheEntity

Ah, she knew she had. Another person had shown up, Hattori-sensei if she recalled, and was giving her a look. Damn, that wasn't great, even though she did ask about how long she'd been here. But where Caitlyn- or, ahem, C-sama as she'd requested- only asked where Yukako had seen her before, Bykov-senpai actually went and told Hattori-sensei off for "barging in"- had she, any more than Yukako herself had?- then asked Yu what her job was. Yu! She already had a cute nickname! They'd be great friends, she just knew it!

'Yes, Hattori-senpai, it is! And it's nice to see you too!' she started, deciding to consider each person's question in order and preferred language. 'C-sama- or Miss Caitlyn, right- I uh, I just saw you in the uh, the thing, paper thing, as part of who was in charge of C-class Operational Personnel, which is what my job is, Bykov-senpai- or uh, Miss Bykov if you prefer that! Assault-class, with a multi-purpose directed energy- introduction pamphlet, that's the name of the thing I saw Miss Caitlyn's name in!- directed energy weapon I've been working on! It's really cool! I can fire a laser to create a line of plasmafied air to send an electrical current along it and shock targets, or a short laser pulse to detonate whatever surface it hits, and I can change its output from lethal to non-lethal for when we need to take hostages too! And it uses the thermoptic camouflage recharging mechanisms to build up a charge, so I don't need to worry about running out of power in a longer firefight either! It's so great, and I mean I know what I'm talking about with this, optics have been kind of a special interest for me for a long-!'

Oh! That was Ochisuita-sensei calling for Operational Personnel! That meant her, maybe even some of the others here! Probably not Miss Caitlyn, but maybe Miss Bykov and Hattori-sensei would.

'Okay, it was really, really nice to meet you all!' she exclaimed, clapping gleefully and repeating herself in Japanese for Hattori-sensei's benefit. 'I hope I see you again at the briefing room! Thank you very much!' And with a swift, modest bow, she ran off in the direction of the briefing room. That went really well! She was glad she'd gotten to introduce herself a bit there; she hoped she'd made a good impression.

_{Location: Engineering Bay to Briefing Room
Interaction: Bekku Fumiko
Mention:}

---

Still in the Engineering Bay, Mikasa couldn’t help but write down small things at her desk, which were essential for her to remember. They were mostly the interactions she needs to do after this shift is over in the Engineering Bay. She had a fantastic look on her face while all the other stuff was going on in the HQ. ’ I must say, I have a feeling something is going to go down soon. I should probably help the code-cracking getting done sooner.’ Mikasa thought with a slight smile on her lips since there’s always stuff going on. As if, by sudden coincidence, Ochisuita Takeda announced that all Operational personnel had to report to the briefing room. ” Aha, I do wonder what that is all about. But I have a feeling it won’t involve me since I am not out in the field type of an engineer.” Mikasa said aloud.

Bekku Fumiko walked up to Mikasa and sighed slightly. It was one thing, but it was like, Mikasa says the right things to trigger her much. ” Uh, Mikasa, can you take the Head Engineer’s Report to Ochisuita Takeda? Please.” Fumiko said, with a strain in her voice of annoyance. It would help the Engineering Team out much if they didn’t have to deal with Mikasa right now. She’s a great help, but she’s such an enigma that she is a bit of annoying pain in the ass.

Mikasa turned to Bekku Fumiko and laughed slightly. ” Aww, you are trying to get me out of your hair, aren’t you? I must bilge you in your request, guess the Head Engineer is too busy, I suppose? If it wasn’t like him to do this to me sometimes.” Mikasa said, with a slight smile towards Fumiko. She had a feeling this is her chance to annoy Naomi somewhat.

Fumiko sighed at Mikasa, frustrated because she was married while this woman is married to her work. ” Wish it was that simple if I could get rid of you, you wouldn’t be so qualified for this position… He is busy, yes. But we hit a pretty exciting point in the cracking, and Ochisuita needs to be appraised of our situation.” Fumiko said to Mikasa with a smile. She hated interacting with her, but the head engineer’s request was to help them out by giving a progress report to Ochisutia. As such, Fumiko handed over the Progress report to Mikasa so Ochisuita can get the progress report.

Mikasa got the progress report had a smile on her face, looked over it, and was shocked. It was accelerating, yes, by much means there was not that much time left for it to be fully unlocked so the NSF can see it. However, it was like there was at least another few hours left before it would be. ” Haha, Fumiko, you should be married to your work instead of a husband. However, since it was the head engineer’s request to go to Ochisuita-sensei, I will go.” Mikasa smiled. She waved Fumiko goodbye, and this progress report was definitely on the right track. Therefore, she was always happy to get something other to do on her way to the Briefing room. She would probably be the last one to get there to appraise Ochisuita of the situation.

---

_{Location: Main Hall to Briefing Room
Interaction: Caitlyn Ellesworth @Lady Selune, Kazankova Bykov @Smike, and Tanaka Yukako @BCTheEntity.
Mention:}

---

Naomi had many things on her mind, but she did notice the look on Tanaka-chan’s face because of what look she gave her. She gave out a small sigh in that, but that’s when many things happened afterward. ’ I should have probably waited… Kaz is always one of the few people to be careful around when talking to.’ Naomi thought to herself, with a look towards Kaz. The usual demeanor of being yelled at is how her body language somewhat stiffened against the rage of Kaz. ” It’s his surname, Kaz.” Naomi said with a small nicety towards that question. She only talked in Japanese but told surname and Kaz in English.

In terms, Naomi learned what she wanted from the two of them, about missing Shunshun Takai. She couldn’t help but sigh slightly at missing the chance to meet Takai. ” I should’ve been more proactive in meeting him then.” Naomi said with a smile. She spoke all that in Japanese towards Caitlyn and Kaz. It’s a common courtesy to smile, even though people are angry at her for interrupting, specifically Kaz. She couldn’t help but stare at Kaz while listening to her bitch at her for barging in. ” I did say sorry for interrupting this conversation. But I do suppose I should probably apologize once more. I apologize for interrupting the conversation.” Naomi said in Japanese towards Caitlyn and Kaz.

It didn’t take her too long to realize that Tanaka-chan answered her. Naomi smiled towards Tanaka-chan. ” Wonderful news, Tanaka-chan. I do hope you enjoy your stay in the NSF then.” Naomi said with a smile at the choice of honorific that Tanaka used. She tried to listen to what Tanaka-chan was saying in English towards Kaz and Caitlyn. Very little she got but did understand, Assault-class, C-Class, and some other words in there. However, it’s still a much of a cultural barrier to understanding English compared to the others. The one thing she learned easily is that Tanaka-chan loved to talk, talk and talk.

Naomi couldn’t help but sigh at how hyperactive Tanaka-chan was, but then an essential wide broadcast happened, which was Ochisuita-sensei. She felt like that probably means it’s time for something to do besides waiting. In terms, Naomi couldn’t help but smile at the hyper activeness of Tanaka-chan. ” You will see me in the briefing room, Tanaka-chan.” Naomi said with a grateful smile. In terms, the feeling she got of Tanaka-chan was slightly better than previously determined. She bowed the same way to Tanaka-chan and looked at the others, bowed as well.

Naomi decided to walk a bit faster towards the Briefing room, but Tanaka-chan was swiftly running through the halls to the briefing room. ’ Jeez, she’s so hyperactive… I do wonder, is she somewhat a spaz? But a good type of spaz for what is going on…’ Naomi thought to herself without any hint in her body language. However, she did decide to walk quickly towards the Briefing Room. She since it wouldn’t be good to be late since she is a C-Rank Operational Officer. In the back of her mind, she hoped Mikasa wasn’t there as well. It was always a pain in the ass to deal with Mikasa.

It would probably take her a bit of time to reach the Briefing Room since she always does things independently. Naomi wouldn’t want to get yelled at more by Kaz anyway, but still good to deal with her thoughts now. ’ Hopefully, Mikasa won’t be in the briefing room… wouldn’t be a good idea to deal with her and dealing with what Ochisutia-sensei wants…’ Naomi thought to herself. She sighed slightly.

It was barely a minute into their introduction to one another and Kaz was already fantasizing about silencing Yukako with a hand around her throat. The way her words seemed to run on and on without a break for punctuation or air, long sentences trailing off into incomplete thoughts before doubling back to pick them up again a few words later, little idiosyncrasies that combined into one big fucking problem. While the spacey ditz fumbled this way and that through the conversation Kaz did her best to grit her teeth and bear it.

"Kaz is fine."

All those suffixes denoting societal standing were extras that irked her, chaff to be discarded whenever possible. Respect was something communicated through action anyway, not bending over backwards to find the right combination of words.

It felt like a minor miracle when the assault officer managed to get onto a single topic without jumping to the next and Kaz repaid the favor by actually listening. An actual directed energy weapon that doesn't just blow up in the user's hands? She was excited to see it in action. Well not actually excited but there was a brief spark of approval somewhere deep in the drug drenched recesses of her mind.

There was a bit of herself in the way Yukako gushed over her pet project, a resemblance to the person Kaz had been back before she had thrown her future away. It had been easy to get her rambling about whatever robotics project or hypothetical augment she was working on, all those doodles and notes she had scrawled down in notebook after notebook. She still remembered a time when she had taken pride in her technical aptitude.

Looking back on the achievements and accolades she had earned just made Kaz bitter now but she could at least recognize when an innovation had merit. Or at least more merit than whatever the heiress-turned-agent was still blubbering on about.

The American opened her mouth to ask a question but was cut off by the voice of the Director. An operation then, what Kaz had been simultaneously waiting for and dreading. She headed off towards the briefing room at the pace of a lumbering bear: slow in the moment perhaps but capable of both surprising speed and shocking violence.
-----

Dai was at the door to the briefing room a few seconds before Kaz managed to make it, deft fingers punching in her name, rank and identification number so that she could be let in The NSF's HQ had all sorts of redudant security measures, proccesses that must have cost millions upon millions of yen in total. The fact that even with all the cloak and dagger sci-fi secrecy Japan's secret police still managed to hire a Yakuza assassin upset Dàiyù more than it should have. This was what her taxes paid for?

The whole organization was porous, hiring Americans mercenaries while Jinrai spies made a mockery of it security protocols. Its agents lacked loyalty one way or another (herself included) and would soon find itself in crisis if something wasn't done. But that wasn't her problem. Dai was there to indulge her addiction to adrenaline while making sure that her organization stayed out of the crosshairs. While the Yakuza had a history of allying with or hiding behind far-right groups it had yet to connect itself with the Jinrai in any meaningful way which meant that there wasn't even really a conflict of interest for NeoTokyo's deadliest entrapenuer.

Dai kept her critical musings to herself as she entered the briefing room, still playing the part of a patriot. "Good morning Director." She gave the required greeting in perfect Japanese, the New England taint present in her English not crossing the language barrier. Other ops personnel were streaming in and none of them were worth engaging with at the moment. If someone addressed her then she'd reply but until then she was content to wait for information.

@BCTheEntity @Conscripts