The blinking of a damaged sign reading 'No Board' is what captivated Kairo's attention. When not on duty and in a crowded location, such as a bustling airport with hundreds of potential flyers, Kai liked to lose track of the world for a little bit. A stark contrast to the constant head-turning, crowd checks, and contingency plans when he
was on duty. It was the lack of work that had made him nervous in the first place, he had just been assigned to his assigned VIP, and not even a month later he was forced to separate to another flight so as to, 'not draw suspicion'. With a soft yawn, Kairo stood and gave a stretch and smoothed his hair on its left side above the ear. He was a mix of bored, frustrated, and relaxed and all of them were new emotions more or less. He made his way to his gate and plastered a fake smile onto his face as he greeted the ticket collector who blushed and looked down as she checked his ticket and then gave a wink when she noticed he was in first class. Briefly, Kairo considered flirting back but the gravity of the situation in Japan had ruined his mood and so he just widened his smile a little and started heading onto the plane proper.
Truth be told, Kai was lucky he had been allowed first-class. The Guild kept things simple, off the grid, but he had managed to get the ok after casually mentioning that he would have more time to prepare in a first-class seat and have a semblance of privacy instead of being locked shoulder to shoulder with a stranger that could be anybody. The guild relented and here Kairo was, settling into his seat and smirking softly as he brought out his laptop and typed in a coded phrase into a chatbox, 'Passing Herod.' There was a moment of quiet before a gentle ding informing of a message and Kairo glanced down to see a response. 'Copy, passing Herod. The package was delivered successfully. Safe flight.' Kai smirked and exited the chatroom before breathing out a sigh and closing his eyes. When he opened them next he found that the trip was already halfway over and that it was dark outside. With a large stretch and a stifled yawn, Kai took stock of his surroundings and decided to stretch his legs and use the little agent's room. As he was passing by other sleeping first-class fliers he took note of the time and chuckled a bit, he must have been more tired than he had thought. It didn't really matter, the trip was going to be spent doing nothing anyway so catching up on missed sleep was a blessing really but still, Kai didn't like succumbing to any weakness and the need for sleep was one of those.
In the end, however, after taking care of other mortal needs such as the bathroom, Kairo returned to his seat and once again passed out and didn't wake again until he felt hands gently shaking him. Coming out of his sleep he froze, muscles tensing and eyes dilating as a rush of adrenaline ran through him until he managed to gain control. He had to relax each muscle slowly and let himself wake before opening his eyes and forcing a smile when he noticed the same attractive blonde attendant hovering over him. She seemed hesitant and apologetic for startling him but Kai just poured on the charm and made sure to ease the situation to not make a scene. He also quietly cursed his exhaustion and for not waking earlier. He could just hear his old instructor in his head. 'Don't you DARE ever lose focus, at any time!' With a sigh, he gathered his belongings and after the plane touched down and began taxiing to an available gate, Kairo opened his laptop and opened a chat program and winced as he noticed the latest message. 'Safehouse has been compromised. No more safe houses left. Go to this address instead. Equipment stash secure.' The situation had deteriorated quickly then which meant that the rebellion was far more organized than most and that the local guild was more or less out of existence. Kairo and the team he was with were alone with no Operating Base and no support.
With the situation so hostile, Kairo was looking forward to retrieving his supplies and making contact with Melville. He knew that his charge's plane would have already landed which meant that the Louis was in the area with no one to help should he need it and if he was being honest with himself that put Kai on edge. He hurried through the luggage line to pick up his other bag, passed through inspection and customs, and then headed to the vehicle rental service. Inside was a black Lexus GS with his name on it, and Kairo once again had to smirk at the reach his family and the Guild had. He turned the ignition and patted the dash as the vehicle purred to life and as the car came to life the viewscreen went instantly to the map mode where coordinates had been programmed in. Kai nodded and took a few breaths before making his foray into Japan proper. He was a seasoned driver, the skill being one of many that had been ingrained into him by the Ahmedi family tutors and trainers who wished to ensure any of their members assigned to a Louis family member would be able to engage in vehicular skirmishes and knew defensive driving techniques. It was a bit different to be in a country he was unfamiliar with, but in the end, he made it to the address and peered at the unassuming warehouse.
Paranoia caused him to park the Lexus in the back, a tarp covering a pallet of supplies also being placed over it. He didn't necessarily think he could be compromised but one could never be too careful. After ensuring that his habits were followed he made his way into the warehouse and began searching. After ten minutes of searching, he came to a room marked with the Ahmedi crest and within a locked closet door. For Kairo, that door didn't stand a chance after having been taught Ahmedi locks and after a short time, the tell-tale 'click' of a lock opening followed by the 'clang!' of it hitting the ground was heard. Kai smirked and opened the closet to see a large black box standing up in the closet. It was about six feet tall and about as wide as Kai was and all total it had that 'heavy' look to it. Kai drug it out and then let it fall, the box making a loud boom throughout the warehouse and he mentally kicked himself for being so careless. His inner paranoia made him do a quick check to make sure no one heard before returning and typing in a four-digit code on the front. A hiss of compressed air was given before the locks clicked open and Kai had a wide grin on his face as he opened the box and revealed the treasures inside. Those 'treasures' included an HK MK23 side-arm complete with a flashlight, laser dot sight, and speed-loading magazine, an HK 416 Assault Rifle with full attachments, a shoulder holster, a hip holster, a tactical knife, high-powered flashlights, a black watch, pliers, extra magazines, his kevlar, and a tactical kit.
Kairo kept his smirk and went ahead and placed his shoulder holster on under the sports coat and as soon as he placed the MK23 and felt the familiar weight he breathed
much easier. The rest of the gear he stowed away into the large unassuming grey backpack that was placed in the back of his car and once finished stood and took a deep breath. He pressed a button on the watch and a secure network was setup which he used to send an encrypted message from his phone while connected. 'Passing Jericho.' He disconnected from the network, pressed the button again, and then walked out of the warehouse with much less paranoia. He had heard horror stories of Ahmedi Agents being ambushed at an equipment drop site and with how this mission was turning out Kai wouldn't have put anything out of the frame of mind. As that thought passed by however it made him want to reach the residence as soon as possible. He secured his bag in the back, jumped into the driver's seat and sped off after inserting the address of his new home away from home.
All in all, the trip didn't take to long but would have been faster had he taken the train. He wasn't used to the traffic in the area and as such he hit a few jams that he notated for future information. He memorized what roads he could, and took in the landmarks he passed. He was in full mission mode and even his eyes had slightly narrowed as the serious face took over his face. Upon arriving, Kai passed the home twice to scope out any potential vehicular surveillance, and only when he was sure that things were clear did he park the Lexus in the driveway. He locked the vehicle down after exiting and then took a good look at the house. It actually wasn't terrible, and much better than Kai was expecting. He glanced around before sighing to himself and performing a full perimeter patrol... Three times, taking in escape routes in the adjoining yards, which roads went where, and the general escapability of the house overall. When he was finished he had four working full retreat options and defensive siege positions. Only then did he permit himself to return to the Lexus, haul the bag onto his back and make his way to the door.
He didn't bother knocking but tested the door to see if it was unlocked and sighed to himself when he noticed that it was, in fact, unlocked for any average joe to walk in on. He gently opened the door and crept in, locking it behind him. When he wished, Kai could make his footsteps quiet as a mouse and he glanced around the home for a moment and nodded, impressed at the size and relative neatness. Not half bad for a rapid job, and once again flexing just how much reach the Guild had around the globe. Part of him wanted to put his defensive plans into actions and start mapping the home, but as he heard Melville's voice from further inside Kai's smirk grew into a playful one and he crept further in.
"Sorry Aloysius, I just love making you jump. Keeps you on your toes." Kai then took a deep breath, placed his bag down beside him, and then charged the couch, activating his anti-magic on his charge to make sure no accidents happened before yelling out.
"YOU LEFT THE DOOR UNLOCKED AND ARE NOW DEAD!" It was fast and meant to startle and perhaps make Mel fall off the couch or scream. Oh, that would be good.
Melville was just about to reply to Aloysius when the sudden yell came from behind. On instinct, he went to raise the nearest object he could see but realized that he couldn't. Turning around fully he could only see the blur of the figure approaching him. It was at this point he realized exactly who it was.
"Nice try. If I really wanted to I could have smashed you into the wall." Melville commented as he crossed his arms. Aloysius in the background however couldn't help but stifle a laugh.
Luckily for Kairo, he was good as stopping quickly and so he simply flipped over the cough and landed beside Mel with a growing smirk and shrugged.
"You could have tried yes." He gave a wink and then noticed Aloysius and grew a bit more serious.
"Ah, sorry about that. Was just trying to shove home basic home defense. You know how it is these days with getting people to lock their doors." He gave a shrug and folded his arms behind his head.
"It is fine. Just don't trash my childhood home. I do still occasionally go there." Aloysius commented as he finally got around to putting his bowl of cereal down. Melville didn't respond, instead deciding to go back to sitting on the couch.
2 I left it unlocked so that you guys could walk right in. I highly doubt that the rebels even know this place exists.Raising an eyebrow, Kai peered towards the screen and nodded. He had assumed the house was a quick back-up plan and supposed that it still was but still, knowing Aloysius had a personal attachment to it made Kai like the man all the more as he was willing to let them use it for the mission. He then glanced towards Mel and sighed a bit and nodded.
"We can't assume anything with the local guild losing all of their holdings. Just, do me a favor and wait for me to arrive before losing protective habits eh?" He tried to brighten his facial structure but probably only succeeded in looking weird. It was still a bit awkward talking to Melville, the two having only recently been forced to spent time together as Kairo was assigned to him. He was still figuring the Louis heir out and was forced to guess on most interactions how to react.
"I still find it funny that an heir to one of the four great families needs a bodyguard." Melville said in a whimsical tone. He was about to speak when Aloysius interrupted him.
"At least you get a bodyguard. Me and Salem don't""Yeah, but you have a literal arsenal of weapons and Salem has her father.""Just because my great grandfather started a weapons business doesn't mean I let it go to my head"Kai opened his mouth to respond and just remained quiet instead, he also didn't really understand. It was one of the biggest questions he had as a child going through the regimented training and constant tests. He supposed it was mostly about appearances, having Anti-Mages guarding you tended to at least give potential Assassins pause, throw in a childhood of martial arts, weapons, and tactical training and you have yourself a pretty decent guardian. His father however told him that there was more to it, it allowed the heir and then ruler to have someone they trusted to carry out orders. A friend when everyone else wanted for power. Kai could understand that, and so that was what he was striving for with Mel.
"We're more than just bodyguards you know, and you not worrying about yourself lets you focus on throwing things at the enemy. And either way, neither of us have a real choice. It's a tradition at this point. Besides, I'm not that bad. Right?""You aren't bad in any way shape or form. You are an extremely helpful person." Melville remarked, making sure to focus on Kai rather than focus on the television screen.
"You wouldn't have been chosen for this if you weren't good enough."Kai opened his mouth to respond and then just nodded. He needed to hear that honestly but wouldn't let it go to his head. He gave a half-smirk and nodded over to Mel in thanks before standing and rolling his shoulder.
"Er, thanks. I'm going to go and park near the door and verify everyone coming in. Let me know if you need anything?"
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