#periscorum

     Of course she was aware of them. Alice was far removed from her roots, but the nature of her own organization remained, and if she wanted to survive in this new land, she had to know every major player in town. 

She had actually treated some of their contacts a few times, even if it never came up as a topic of conversation. Her particular... field of medicine was perhaps the only one that actively discouraged bedside manners. But she never expected them to take note of her, so the very professional call requesting her services with a palpable touch of urgency came as a surprise.

They sent a car to pick her up, gave her the patient’s chart to get acquainted with during the ride. Mesa. A codename for sure. The information pertained only to his immediate situation and anything in his history that might aggravate it, which was more than what she usually had to work with.

                          ————————————————– ;

     I t wasn't much different from any other business arrangement. Any minute now, Yohei's guest would arrive through the back door of the shop, just like always. During the day, he made a living repairing cars, but meetings arranged through Kawaguchi always took place after normal hours. So there he waited, a cigarette perched in between his fingers. This was a wait he'd been through countless times before, yet a seemingly minor difference in the circumstances had him wildly on edge. His shoulders and neck were stiff. His teeth were grit together so tightly it made his jaw ache. He'd tried countless times to occupy his mind assessing the work load for the following day ( he still had two cars to work on, but both repairs had to be postponed ) yet somehow his mind always drifted back to the conversation he had with Kawaguchi hours earlier.

     "I don't require a partner," Yohei insisted, snarling at the idea. The last time he was assigned a partner, he got attached, and then said partner ended up being shot to death in front of him. Yohei didn't need another person to get attached to. Ever. He wouldn't openly admit his reason for resisting the idea, although he doubted Kawaguchi would care even if he did. Her eyes sharpened. She set her glass of wine down on the table beside her, then stood from the large chair stationed near the window.

     "I disagree. Considering the limit of your ability, and your lacking skill in hand-to-hand combat, I think it's an efficient move. I think you'll find him very qualified. It'll feel less like babysitting, don't you think?"

     { I still have to show him what to do... }

     He sighed. At least there was no emotional investment when it came to his subordinates. Yohei dismissed Kawaguchi’s explanation as a failed attempt at manipulation. In the end, the attempt was unnecessary whether it worked or not. She was the boss, and he didn't have a say. "Whatever. Where's his file, then?"

     "You'll find it on your desk. Same meeting spot as always."

     Thus, there he was, waiting. He had the file on a table cluttered with tools, but he hadn't bothered to look at it. This wasn't how he met Hayate. He met Hayate before CHO developed a practical arrangement for such things, and she introduced the two personally. His teeth grit together when he thought of every time his previous partner stepped through that door just because he wanted to. Maybe this new set up was for the better. After all, if he kept things as impersonal as possible, he couldn't get attached. He snatched the file off the table, viewing it through a veil of spite. Fin Sicaro. He suddenly decided he hated Fin Sicaro. He hated this idea and everything about it, and he'd resist it with every ounce of his energy.

     His gaze narrowed as the door opened. Considering the hour, he knew who it must have been already, so he pushed himself off the table and ashed out his cigarette. It wasn't at all what he was expecting. Annoyingly pleasant to look at, but not at all an accurate representation of CHO, or anyone involved with them. His arms folded loosely over his chest, weight shifting to one leg. He gave another look up and down before he spoke, the scowl of a spoiled child on his face.

     "So, you're the new guy?

          Uchida Yohei. Guess I'm assigned to work with you."

     It made his stomach churn. He couldn't push the word partner from the edge of hit tongue. The word -- a sentiment in Yohei's eyes, and therefore he wouldn't use it -- was a constant itch in the back of his throat.

     "I just have one thing to say.

          I'm not interested in babysitting, so if you get in my way,

Without any sort of warning a portal opened up in the middle of the room, just about six foot in height and two feet wide, it was made of swirling pinkish light.

Given the colour it really shouldn't have been too much of a surprise when Rias stepped out. The surprise, perhaps, was that she was dressed in red leather armor and had a sword at her hip.

     “ ------i think that’s the last box, “  the woman hummed, copper optics peering at her meticulously-packaged assets piled up in the foyer, and then at her...husband. it was difficult to wrap the term around her head, especially when she’d just met him a few days prior; just two days before, she was settling her lease, handing off her business, and packing her things for the big move, and now she was here for good. her accent was thick, but she had the heavens to thank for the fact that she had studied english to an astonishing degree in high school; she would see to it that the language barrier did not influence her new marriage. or perhaps the government knew her language proficiency and that was why she was married off to a foreign land. there was too much to think about, but at least the marriage agency would take care care of her citizenship issues. one headache down, but plenty more to pass around.

     “ thank you...for helping me unload. you can retire----i couldn’t trouble you by asking to help me unpack. “  her intentions earnest, she offered a gentle smile to fin, a nod to assure her insistence. a sad feeling crept upon her nerves as she picked up a labeled box and began to pick the cellophane tape away; she hadn’t unpacked her things like this since her parents passed away----it was a melancholic nostalgia that sunk her spirits. she wanted to hurry up and settle into this new life and find her place in the world again. this sudden displacement, from the moment that she’d received her government notice up until now, had her scrambling for her wits. she hoped that fin would be kind to her. she hoped that she was married to this man for more than just the fact that they both happened to be single.