#{sequence 1}

“Yeah, that’s probably best.”

Much as she was hesitant to trust this armored, cyborg-looking guy, he seemed to know about the exit.

“And you can shut up, princess.”

Val turns away, looking back to her robes to disguise the blush that still remains on her face. She hadn’t had much affection sent her way in years, let alone kissing, so needless to say that came as a bit of a shock she’s still yet to fully register. Didn’t help that this was the first time Chara had ever seen Val dressed so casually, in a simple pair of sweatpants and a tanktop. She goes back to sewing quickly, giving a light cough.

“So... uh... you know... you can call before showing up...”

@emperor-arzon

12 guards, 10 cameras, and only 3 locked doors? What kind of security is this? Val works her way down the hallway, using the rather convenient pillars to tuck into and hide as guard patrols pass by. She looks up a bit, AMI helpfully highlighting a pair of cameras red in her vision and showing their range of vision.

Pausing for a brief moment, she waits for the camera to turn, then takes advantage of a brief gap in their vision range, dashing quietly forward and sliding into another gap between pillars, directly beneath the cameras. A camera gap with a nook to hide in? The security chief here should be fired. At least she’s near the target’s office. All she has to do is turn the corner and- ohfuck.

A rather large, heavily armored figure stands before her, holding a very large spear. Well, there wasn’t supposed to be anyone but the guards and target here for at least an hour. Who the hell was this?

“Uh... sorry, bit lost. You wouldn’t happen to know which way to the bathroom?” 

“Boring. I’m tryin’ to dig up some dirt on Abstergo, and seriously? These guys’ network encryption is so bad I don’t even think this counts as hacking anymore. I mean, this chick’s email password is literally ‘stucky4lyfe.’”

Val shrugs, taking her hands off the keyboard and leaning back in her chair.

Ruby eyes met the other’s gaze. “You never taught me to use a cell phone… I don’t think I could call you anyway- I was… rather panicked.” Chara bit her lip, reaching up to pull off the red scarf, revealing two soft, floppy, catlike ears, the fluff matching the color of the hair around them. They were folded down in disdain; Chara was clearly unhappy with this.

“And before you laugh, I just woke up with these…” She said grudgingly, her gaze shooting to the corner of the room. …Where the heck was she right now? The whole room was metallic… smelled funny…

Val chokes on her drink as the scarf was removed, coughing hard.

“Ach! W-what... what in the hell!?!”

She puts the drink down on the nearby table, restraining a laugh. Okay, cat ears. That’s a new one for her.

~Scanning... subject appears to have been affected by a mutation of their DNA structure. Cause: unknown. No records in our database match the subject’s current condition.~

“Yeah, AMI’s as clueless as I am. Some kinda DNA mutation somehow, that’s all we’ve got for ya, rookie.”

Val was currently taking a break from her near-endless Templar hunt, resting on the ship hideout gifted to her by a certain emperor. She goes into her fridge for a drink... just in time to hear someone moving. In her ship. Which was in deep space. Which could only mean...

“Chara.”

Val shuts the fridge door and turns to face her pseudo-apprentice, cracking open a soda and taking a sip while raising an eyebrow at the other’s odd 'headgear.’

William Chase. Telecommunications mogul and former Templar. Has used his connections in the telecom industry to control media for years and shape the people to the Templar’s will. However, his lavish, showy lifestyle has managed to bring him closer to the limelight, and has nearly exposed Templar activity on several occasions. Now banished from the Templar regime with a price on his head, he spends his days in seclusion in his mansion, using his vast fortune to hire mercenaries to keep any would-be hitmen at bay.

Val closes the dossier, observing the mansion in the distance. This guy’s bad news, that’s for sure... in her timeline, he managed to worm his way back into the Templar’s good graces and help keep their empire afloat for years thanks to his hold over the masses. He had to be stopped.

She drops out of the tree she was hidden in, working her way through the foliage of the manor grounds and evading guards. So far everything’s been quiet... she spots a window on the third floor that’s cracked open slightly. Perfect. Turning around to check for patrolling guards, she waits for an opening, then quickly scales the wall, pushing the window open and dropping into an empty bedroom.