Briefing Room, Ghost Corps
@Herald, @Qia, @SporkoBug
“Looks like everything's going to be ok,”
VV nodded, her gaze drawn towards A. But there was something bothering her at the back of her mind. A felt… off. There was something bothering her, something she wasn't telling VV.
Maybe when she's ready… VV thought, lips pursing a bit, before she brought her attention back to the briefing.
"Hell, any cleaner and this fine lady might just leave me for you, Captain,”
Le Frey chuckled at that.
”Not likely. You know these things are more of a ‘bonded for life’ type of deal.”The sudden interruption of the child escorted by Ghost Corp was unusual, but not entirely out of place. The General said he'd handle it. And, satisfied, the two guards escorting the kid took their leave, presumably to take the kid downstairs.
Meanwhile, the General shifted his gaze back to the group.
”A convoy is being prepared for you. You'll head out in a few hours. Once again, I wish you the best.”
Lower Barracks, Interrogation Room, Ghost Corps
In collaboration with @SporkoBug
After the meeting upstairs had adjourned, the General cracked his neck.
It was time to make some kids cry.
Well, maybe not make them cry. But trespassing on Ghost Corp grounds was a very grievous mistake. And as for the
why, he'd get down to the bottom of it.
The General made it to the bottom level barracks. Near the back of the floor, there were a line of interrogation rooms. He peeked into the little window in the door, eyeing the kid sitting in a metal chair with his arms tied behind his back, sitting across from one of his men.
He was about to enter, when he heard footsteps. He turned, confused, when he saw Mimi had followed.
"...What do you need?" He asked.
Ebony had been moved to the interrogation room, he was moved so he was tied back to the chair so he couldn't escape even if he wanted to.
They were worried on what one of the men said about trying to get out of here after what would happen here. They watched the Ghost Corps men in front of them before they breathed out slowly as they closed their eyes, trying to relax their heart beat as it felt like it was beating out of their chest.
Outside, Mimi had followed the General; leaving the humans and their bonded wilds behind as they walked into the barracks. The general turned to face them, they didn't seem startled by the General turning to them before they tilted their head gently.
"Check up, little human." Mimi chirruped gently, "Not used to seeing, little ones. Want to observe." They continued before they flicked their tail a little, "Will stay out of way.”
The General gave Mimi a careful look, before he nodded, and opened the door for them.
"Follow me."He entered the small interrogation room, and gestured for the Ghost Corp already talking to the kid to leave.
"I'll handle it from here."When it was just the three of them in the room, the General took his seat across from the kid. He sighed, eyeing the kid, looking for any indication of his mental state.
"Well. Why don't we start with something easy. Do you have a name?"Mimi nodded at the Generals' words, moving into the room with a small flick of their tail.
As soon as Mimi entered the room, Ebony froze up and stopped talking to the Ghost Corp already in there. Ebony didn't notice the other worker leave and the General enter before he sat down across from them.
Ebony kept their eyes on Mimi for a moment before slowly looking towards the General as he sighed and started to speak.
"M...My name is Ebony." They managed to get out, "I...I don't have a last name."
Mimi stayed on the Generals' side of the table, watching Ebony carefully with a small tilt of their head before they inched a bit closer, causing Ebony to wince at the action.
"Little." Mimi said softly, swaying their tail.
The General gave a nod of their head. Compliant so far, that was a good sign. He side-eyed Mimi for a moment, noting their parental side coming out. Strange, in a word such as the Dust. The kid could very easily be part of some bigger ploy, and he was determined to find out.
The General laid out Ebony's effects on the table, a shabby knife and a plush toy.
"We found these on you. Care explaining what they are?"When Mimi spoke about Ebony being little, they flinched, pushing back into their chair slightly before the General put the knife and plush toy onto the table.
"T-They're my only things." Ebony said softly, "I made the knife myself, and the plush is Chirp - I've had him since I was a baby." If their hands weren't tied up, they'd reach out to take Chirp, they wanted them in their hands; their shabbiness was a sign of being well loved, and Ebony wouldn't mind squishing it to get rid of some anxiety.
The General watched Ebony carefully. It would appear the child was sentimental, so they were obviously not a hardened, soulless solider that someone like the Ravagers would through at him. Umbra was psychotic enough to strap a bomb to an unknowning child, however, in the hopes of undermining him.
So he pushed for the breadwinner.
"Alright. Can you tell me why you thought it was a good idea to trespass on my territory? And why you're following the Umbra drop?"Ebony almost slunk back as they were asked the questions, there was silence from them for a moment. Instinctively their eyes went to Chirp; keeping their eyes away from the Generals pointed stare.
Did they have a good reason for why they did what they did? No, not really. It was admittedly irrational.
Ebony breathed in slowly, closing their eyes.
"I don't have a good response, sir." They admitted. "With the Umbra Drop, I was hoping there was some supplies; and I was hoping to try and barter with you about getting some medical supplies if I could." Ebony looked back to the General with an embarrassed look, "I expected to be a bit sneakier, I didn't expect someone to see me enter and silently follow me. You have some good soldiers."
Mimi tilted their head as they stepped around the table, sniffing at the little one. They smelt strange, under all of the fear and worry; there was a hint of hope, a fighting spark.
"Little warrior." Mimi said suddenly, causing Ebony to flinch as they realized the wild was close to them, they moved to try and put their hands up- forgetting for a moment that they were tied up.
"Please don't come near." Ebony said, fear through their words, "I don't want to become food, not like my father."
Ebony paused as they realized what they said,
shit.
"An aversion to Wilds, huh? Reasonable." The General said, not batting an eye. His mask whirred quietly as he leaned back in his seat, observing Ebony and Mimi.
He could sit here and stir the pot. He could stir for hours. But he also saw another way, especially with how - his eyes flicked to Mimi - Nature could possibly fit into all this.
So, with a sharp inhale, the General upholstered his AE pistol, and leveled it at Ebony point blank.
"You got a believable cover story. I'd believe you, if it wasn't my first time around the Dust. You see, I'm a man that doesn't like leaving loose ends loose. And, even if I do let you go, you've already seen too much."
"So choose, you want it between the eyes, or in the chest?"Ebony gave a small laugh at the General's first sentence, "I'd say more of a preservation of wanting to live, more like it." They said as they flinched away as Mimi leaned forward to sniff against them softly. "I watched my father be mauled by something like this one; I'd rather not end up the same."
They heard the click of the pistol being upholstered; both of them- Mimi and Ebony- and both of them moved to look at the General as he leveled it to Ebony.
The young human yelped and tried to push the chair back from the table to try and get away from the weapon, especially as the General asked where they wanted to get shot.
Mimi reacted in a different way, instinctively they fanned their feathers out and leapt up onto the table, fluffing themselves out to completely block Ebony's body from the gun. The mimicraptor moved and grabbed the barrel of the gun with their mouth, not trying to pull it from the Generals' grip, but as a way to attempt to move it to point towards the table.
The dino-wild let out a low rumble from their chest, something that the group wouldn't have heard from the normally-passive beast.
"Do not harm the little one!" They rumbled as they stared the General in the eyes.
"You think it is a story. I can smell the sadness on them." Mimi said, moving the gun from their mouth as they moved a hind leg over to keep it pointing to the table.
"It's the same smell I smelt on Le Frey last night, they are not lying. We have all lost, I do not believe slaughter is the way to go. Lest we be as bad as Umbra." Mimi's eyes trained on the General as their voice was steely, a voice and tone that the General wouldn't have heard before.
The last line had been said to them in the past, by the humans they had saved from the King. If the General would listen closely, Mimi's voice sounded almost completely similar to Wrens' voice, although more feminine.
Ebony watched the Wild talk back to the General, the Wild was... Defending
them? Why would they do that, surely it was a tactic to try and get them to admit that they were a spy, even though they weren't a spy in any way.
The General stared for a moment, eyes narrowing at Mimi. In fact, Mimi's reaction also Mt seemed to caused excitement to seep off him. However, that didn't show on his face, or in his tone. No. His next words he uttered were spat, growled out.
"Defying the highest Ghost Corp authority in their investigation is treason."His free hand raised, bright sparks of electricity gathering in his palm.
"The punishment is death. Join them, and die, both of you."And his hand swung towards them, unleashing a powerful bolt that enveloped them both.
Mimi didn't stand down as they heard the words leave the General's mouth, ready to speak back to him about being honoured to die protecting the innocent; but as the bolt of Electricity arced past them and into Ebony first, the young human let out a loud yell of pain.
Mimi's instinct to protect overrode their instinct of self preservation, moving to leap from the table to where Ebony was tied up against the chair, the energy rippling through their body as they struggled to try and escape, Mimi fighting the electricity as well before moving to bite through the restraints and knocked the chair over, moving to cover Ebony's body with their own; hoping to take the electricity away from them.
Ebony felt strange all of a sudden, the feeling of goosebumps ran over their body as they glanced up to the underside of Mimi as the electricity arced between them; a Wild using themselves as a shield for
them? Were they trying to actively save them?
"I'm sorry for making you defy your leader." Ebony thought towards Mimi, not knowing that they were slowly linking together; Ebony's heart beating quickly as the Darkness from the Wilds heart started to bond with theirs.
"Do not be sorry." Mimi replied softly with their mental voice, moving their head to gently press it against the little humans chest.
"I strived to protect humans until I passed, and this is a Valiant way to go." They continued,
"I just wish you could use your strength to help against Umbra."The Electricity suddenly stopped, Mimi expected to see the white mist of the afterlife that the King had told them about, but they were surprised at the sight of the thrown chair and the interrogation wall.
Ebony was breathing heavy as their muscles twitched from the energy that was flooding out of their body.
"Death, huh?" They asked from under Mimi, suddenly mimicking the Generals' voice from his previous sentence. They coughed slightly before they moved their hands up to gently push Mimi off them and felt their soft feathers. Mimi complied without question, as if knowing what Ebony wanted without being asked.
Both of the newly bonded body's felt like they were tingling, but neither of them knew if it was from the Electricity or... Whatever happened.
Mimi didn't look to the General until they moved to get Ebony up to their feet, instinctively moving to grab Chirp - leaving the knife on the table - before returning it to Ebony and moving to put their head under their hand. Ebony hesitantly pet the Wild beside them, they could feel their protective feelings towards them before they looked towards the General.
Mimi followed their gaze before their tail swayed for a moment.
"You
planned this." They said, their tone wasn't angry or accusatory, there was a sign of almost humour to it. "Le Frey said you took a liking to me."
"You
are fluffy." Ebony added quietly, moving their hand through Mimi's feathers. "I can see why people would like you. Plus you smell like moss." Ebony added, unknowing that it was only because of the bonding that they could smell the 'mossy' smell.
The General sat, unmoving in his chair, glancing at them before his gaze was drawn to the leftover electricity on his hand. His hand flexed, and it sputtered out. There was a humorous lilt to his tone as he spoke to Mimi, his voice low.
"Blood brothers of Nature... You and everything you touch is meant to be. And a Wild isn't complete until they bond with a human, I believe."He stood, holstering his pistol.
"Well, I would say congratulations are in order. But the convoy moves for Ehlm. And you'll want to be on board."He shot them a knowing look behind his mask.
"It's your destiny, after all."
Outside the Ghost Corp Headquarters
@Herald, @Qia, @Sporkobug
Le Frey oversaw the distribution of men, weapons, and supplies on four separate jeeps. Ghost Corp men were rapidly moving back and forth from the open doors of the base, lifting bags, boxes, and other supplies into the jeeps.
As the group gathered outside, he turned, seeing Mimi and Ebony hesitantly walking out of the base. He waved them over.
”Looks like you made it, all the better, eh? The General's already informed me of your situation. Come here.”He turned to Val, A and VV, hands on his hips.
”Well, little Mimi here has some exciting news to share with all of you. They're now officially joined. To the kid, Ebony, no less. And apparently it's the General's wishes that they join you on your adventures to the central woods.
“If everyone's alright with that, head over to the first jeep and find a seat. You'll be heading out in ten minutes.”He stood there for a moment, before he seemed to get a bit of dust in his eye.
”I'm not, uh, joining you on this leg of the journey. Got work to do here, ya know?” His voice shook a little,
”So, you know, take care of yourselves, don't kill each other, don't get killed, all that good stuff.”VV stared with an empathetic gaze.
”You really stuck your neck out for us, despite everything. Thank you, Captain. Maybe our paths will cross again.”Le Frey nodded, a little too choked to speak. VV took that as a cue to ease attention off him, and turned her gaze to A,
”You got those pills from the doctor, right? Should be in your pack.
“You feeling alright to head out?”Before her gaze turned to Val.
”Kinda strange to call you a Guardian, but it's got a nice ring to it, doesn't it? I uh… thanks. You won your little battle with the General, didn't you? They let me out right after.
“If you're still okay with guiding us, I'd… we'd be honoured if you stuck with us a little longer.”Then her eyes glanced to Wren,
”You uh… are you sure you're alright, coming with us? It's uh… well, it's not a stretch to say this is a suicide mission…”And, lastly, VV turned to Ebony and Mimi.
”Congratulations. I don't think it's quite safe for a kid to be coming with us, but… Mimi has camouflage abilities, don't they? You should be fine, as long as you promise to stay back if there's a fight, okay?”
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