The sound of a bell rang as Ren opened the door. He looked around the almost empty café, breathing out a sigh of relief. He looked down at Olivia, explaining that this was one of his favourite cafés to visit on break.

"It's out of the way, so I won't meet any unwanted colleagues... Also why do you look like that" Ren asked, referring to the almost annoyed look on her face.

Ren was worried that he picked a bad spot to cheer her up, which was kind of the case, but not the way he was expecting. It just so happened, that the café he loved to visit, was owned by none other than Susan.

Smirking from behind the counter, Susan took a sip of coffee as she watched the two take a seat. One of Susan's employees tried to take their orders, but Susan stopped them.

"Sorry rookie, this is the job for a pro" Susan said, giving a thumbs up.

Her employee nodded, confused but still listening to Susan's request. Susan walked up to the two, with the biggest grin on her face.

"Hi what can I get you two LOVE BIRDS, today?" She teased.

Both Ren and Olivia's faces turned red, vehemently denying that sort of relationship.

"She's my subordinate! I just wanted to cheer her up after something bad happened..." Ren explained, a bit flustered.

"Yeah random lady I definitely do not know! Listen to my boss!" Olivia said, shooting daggers into Susan.

Susan laughed before apologizing.

"I'm sorry it just looked like you two would make a cute couple that's all..." Susan commented.

Ren laughed awkwardly, before telling her he's two years older than Olivia.

"So? It's not like you're in your late 20's or something! What's wrong with dating her?" Susan teased.

"I'm sorry ma'am but this isn't appropriate to talk about... Please stop before I report you to a manager" Ren said, trying not to sound rude.

Susan laughed before explaining that she was actually the owner of the café. Ren was surprised that the owner of the café would come and take their orders, let alone comment on their relationship.

"This is still inappropriate isn't it...?" Ren asked, scratching his head a bit.

Susan laughed before explaining that she was Olivia's aunt. Well she tried to at least. Before she could utter a word, Olivia grabbed Susan and dragged her far away from Ren.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Olivia whispered furiously.

Susan crossed her arms as she looked at Olivia disappointedly.

"You've been crushing on this boy for 3 months- no, actually even longer than that! I thought you had finally asked him out or something, but it turns out you two are only here cause you threw a tantrum didn't you?" Susan asked.

Olivia's face turned red, denying her accusations. Susan didn't believe a word she said. She sighed as she held her face and shook her head.

"Listen, you should tell him your feelings. If you don't you'll regret it. Trust me" Susan said, pushing her back to the table.

Olivia mumbled a few things before stopping once she got close to Ren. He looked up at her with curiosity, as her face became increasingly red.

"I'll give you two space.... So tell him" Susan whispered.

Olivia gulped as she sat down in front of Ren. She looked over to her aunt, who was ushering her staff into the break room. She looked down at her hands, as she began fidgeting with them.

"Hey... Sir... Can I talk to you about something?" Olivia said meekly.

Ren's eyes widened a bit as he sat up straight. He nodded, readying himself for anything. After a bit of hesitation, Olivia began speaking.

"I.... I think... I hate

my brother"

Ren was shocked.

Searching all over F.A.T.E headquarters, Oliver started to get tired. He went all the way from the medical ward to the documentation ward, which took a good hour and half. His legs felt like they were going to explode, and his mind felt like it was slowly rotting away.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"I think I've replaced half my vocabulary with, "have you seen Olivia?"...." Oliver thought to himself as he sat on a bench in the central garden.

As he looked up at the sky, he wondered if it would be better to just give up his vendetta and go on with his life.

"No, that bitch stole my shoe!" Oliver thought, his eyebrows furrowing.

He began thinking about all the ways he'd get revenge on Olivia. From stealing all her choco pies, to making her sleep on the couch, to even putting gum in her hair, he thought of everything. Although it seemed that his malicious intent had caught the attention of a woman who liked to hunt evil.

Feeling a cold touch on his nape, Oliver jolted up. He turned around, seeing General Ying Yue standing behind him. Her piercing maroon eyes were so cold, that Oliver could actually feel his face freezing a bit.

"M- madame! What're you doing here?" Oliver asked, shaking a bit.

Yue glared at Oliver before picking him up by his collar.

"Well I was here to take a stroll... However I didn't expect to find a subordinate of mine lazing around. Did you have fun slacking off for most of the day?" Yue said, her voice was as cold as ice.

Oliver turned his head away, mumbling some excuses. She glared at him intensely, causing him to almost faint from fear.

"Alright! Alright! I'll get back to work!" Oliver said, whining a bit.

Yue dropped Oliver before dusting her hands off. Oliver got up from the ground, a bit embarrassed that he was caught slacking.

"Well I've been running around headquarters doing everything but working... So I guess it just caught up to me" Oliver thought to himself.

He sighed, before remembering an important fact.

"Wait, I'm not your subordinate though? You kicked me out, remember?" Oliver commented.

"Yes that's true... hmm I apologise then. You're free to slack off and continue living your miserable life of stagnation. Besides, I'd hate to have a crow around..." Yue said smugly.

Oliver was shocked that she knew his secret identity, however considering she was Katherine's mother, and Sieg's wife, it made perfect sense. Although since she was Sieg's wife... No, since she was a high ranking general, maybe he could ask her about descent energy.

"Um... Can I ask a few questions though?" Oliver asked, trying to be as professional as he could.

Yue thought for a moment before turning around to the exit. She gestured for him to follow, then began walking.

"That's not an answer but ok..." Oliver thought to himself, grimacing.

As he followed Yue, Oliver began asking the questions that plagued his mind. Unfortunately before he could say anything, Yue lifted up three fingers. He was confused for a while, but soon understood what she meant.

"How cruel, only three questions? Fine I guess I have to make them count huh..."

For his first question, he asked what was the difference between those who couldn't use descent energy, and those who could.

"People who can use descent energy are born with it, that's all" Yue answered.

He rolled his eyes, though he already expected such a response from her. In the few days that he was active in the C squadron, he witnessed how she treated her subordinates. Those who had proved their worth were treated well and called her "disciples", while those who barely made the requirements of being an Investigator were left to fend for themselves and called "amateurs". There was a saying in the C squadron, "Above all else, General Ying Yue judges a person's character first", which was a nicer way of saying that Yue treated the people she liked most with respect, and the ones she didn't with disdain… And it just so happened that Oliver was the perfect candidate for her amateur list.

"Alright then... How does one gain the power of descent energy then? I know for a fact that people aren't born with the ability to use descent energy, even if they're able to do it later in life. You have to unlock it first... So how do you do it?" Oliver asked.

Yue paused, before shrugging.

"Don't ask me, ask someone else" Yue responded.

Oliver was completely dumbfounded by her response, even if he completely expected what she would say. Her nonchalant way of annoying him, it made him want to punch her.

"No if I do that... I don't even think Sieg could heal me up. Not that I wanna go through that again..." Oliver thought to himself.

For his final question, Oliver struck up a deal with her. Since she didn't answer his previous question, that she would have to answer the third question without trying to dodge it. Yue thought about it before putting some clauses.

"First clause, I can lie if I want.... Second clause, I can add irrelevant information to the answer... And final clause, you're only able to ask a yes or no question" Yue retorted.

To her surprise, he actually accepted all the clauses without asking any questions.

Oliver thought for a moment, thinking about the best possible question he could give. Actually, he already knew the perfect answer, he just wanted to give Yue a bit of hope. He took in a deep breath before saying confidently.

"Does one have to undergo a certain event before they unlock the ability to use descent energy? Yes or no?" Oliver asked, with a smirk.

Yue stopped dead in her tracks, before laughing. It wasn't a laughter of mockery, no it was a laughter of embarrassment from being bested. It was a strange sight to see such a high ranking general of her status act so... Human, but it was a bit comforting knowing that she wasn't entirely insane.

"So that was your plan from the beginning? How clever..." Yue said, sounding genuinely proud.

Oliver grinned, before stretching his arms. Yes, his plan was genius. The first question he asked, was to confirm if Yue was the person he thought she was. If she answered his question genuinely, he wouldn't have to waste his time with his plan, however just as he expected, Yue answered in the most obvious way possible. A perfect set up for his next question. He had purposefully asked a long and complex question, so that Yue was forced to not answer his question, if she wanted to continue to sit on her high horse. He had successfully portrayed himself as a tasty carrot to lure in the rabbit. So the final question was just easy sailing.

"I can't believe you tricked me into a corner... Very well done..." Yue said, clapping.

Oliver smiled a bit before rolling his eyes. He was on a roll, so he couldn't show any weakness in front of her.

"Go on then... Answer my question. Yes... Or no?" Oliver asked.

Yue had two options now, she could either answer yes truthfully, or no as a lie. However in truth, she only had one option. The question Oliver asked, would only benefit him if he already had an idea of how the ability to use descent energy was manifested. Since he knew the basics, he just needed some confirmation. So no matter if she told the truth or a lie. She would eventually just answer his question.

A smile crept up her face before she suddenly began walking again. Oliver was confused why she wasn't answering, so he called her out on it. The General chuckled a bit before looking at him.

"I don't wanna answer anymore"