"If she says anything mean to you, and I mean anything, you just let me know okay?" Mom says. She is displaying annoyed behaviors, but also protective ones. Though it is a good feeling to have someone be protective, I still sigh. She has said this exact same thing three times now.

"I will mom." I agree. I have found that it is better to simply agree with her as many times as it takes, and she nods. Though she doesn't look any happier.

"I can't believe they put you in the same team as Aurora." She huffs, pulling into the "parking spot" and turning the car off. "You probably don't know this, but she's been picking on Gaster since he entered middle school. I know she's probably changed since…" Mom trails off, her lips pursing.

"Picking on?" I ask, and mom shakes her head.

"It just means she wasn't very nice to him. So again, if she says anything mean to you, you call me immediately. Got it?" She asks, and I nod again. Four times now.

"Can I eat her if she's mean to me?" I ask, and mom laughs. Then she seems to have thought about something, because she looks at me with a very serious expression.

"No. No eating people." I try not to feel too disappointed, I should have known that the answer would be no. We both look up and see Leo waving from the entrance of the "train station", and mom unlocks the door. "Alright hun, you go and have a fun exercise. Stay safe, and listen to your Liaison."

I nod, getting out of the car and closing the door behind me. I press my ears flat as the deafening noise of the city once again causes pain in the auditory nervous system. I have thought about removing the structure while we are in the city, but…

Frustration! It is such a useful addition to human anatomy!

I decide to keep it active, and keep my ears flat as I approach Leo. He smiles as I draw near him, though he keeps looking around.

"Hello Mr. Waffles." He greets. "You're the first to arrive, though I've received word that Ms. Zainen has been dropped off at the station already. She should be getting here shortly." I tilt my head, and he chuckles. "Aurora." He clarifies, and I nod in understanding.

"I heard she's mean." I say, and he pauses before hesitantly nodding his head.

"Yes, well… It's not my place as a Liaison to discuss behavior with a third party, but her attitude is understandable considering her circumstances." He says quietly, his voice almost drowned out by the noise around us. People are giving us curious glances as they walk past, a few of them seeming to notice Leo's clothes and whisper amongst themselves.

Hmm… so clothes can draw suspicion? Interesting. Perhaps that is why mom and Joey wanted me to change the clothes I was wearing.

"Ah, the lady in question. Hello Ms. Zainen." Leo says suddenly, looking behind me, and I turn to look as well and…

Hmm…

I tilt my head to the side. There is a nuan female standing there, wearing loose clothing with a "backpack" slung over her shoulders. Her hair is short, stopping just below her ears, and looks like a greenish-blue. Her figure is well toned, much like Sariel's is, but more than that… She looks familiar, for some reason.

She is also staring at me, her blue eyes wide and her mouth partially open. Her hands are clenched tight around the straps of her backpack, and she swallows.

"...Jack?" She whispers, and I shake my head, smiling.

"My name is Joey Waffles, and I am very polite!" I greet, extending a hand like I've observed other people do. She stares at it for a few moments, then looks back up at my face. She blinks, her eyes squinting, before she shakes her head.

"Aurora." She introduces, but does not take my hand. I pull it back as she continues to study me for a few moments, swallowing again and shaking her head. "Sorry, you just look like someone I…" She takes a deep breath, and I shrug. It is alright if the handshake is not given! Maybe she doesn't know that it's polite to do so.

"Ms. Zainen, lovely to see you again. It's been a little while." Leo says, and Aurora nods. "As he just introduced, this here is Mr. Waffles. As per the message I sent you, he will be part of your team moving forward. I hope you two work well together."

"Right, yeah, whatever." She says, her tone aggravated. "New team, I get it. So when's the team lead getting here?"

Leo taps his circlet. "Well, not for another couple of minutes. His Liaison has informed me that their train just arrived, so they're making their way through the station now." He replies, and Aurora crosses her arms over her chest.

"So are we just waiting here, or…?" She questions, and Leo chuckles.

"We could stop in for some tea or coffee somewhere, if you'd like. My treat." Leo offers, and I hurriedly nod.

"May we also get biomass?" I ask the most important question, causing Leo to laugh again.

"We certainly can. Come on, I know a good spot where we can have some privacy to meet with your new team lead." He says, gesturing behind him, and we follow in step as he begins to walk away. I continue to study Aurora, though she seems to make it a point not to look at me.

She really does look familiar, but I cannot figure out why.

We eventually stop in front of a 'shop', where a human woman comes out to greet us with a smile. "Table for three?" She asks, and Leo returns her smile.

"For five, actually. We're expecting to meet with two more." He says, and she glances at his clothes before nodding.

"I can get you a private booth." She offers, and Leo nods.

"That would be much appreciated."

She leads us into the shop, and I lick my lips as I see people consuming biomass at the tables. The air here smells so good! We sit at a booth, Aurora taking the seat next to a window while Leo slides in next to her. I take the empty seat, and the human female places down 'menus' in front of us. "Would you like some time to look over the menu, or are you ready to order now?" She asks.

"I'd like some mint tea, please." Leo answers, and Aurora glances at him from the corner of her eye.

"You said this was on you, right?" She asks, and when he nods she picks up the menu. "Then I'd like a… white caramel mocha with a strawberry parfait."

Oh! Strawberries, mom bought those once and they were delicious!

"Alright, mint tea and a white caramel mocha with a strawberry parfait." The human female says, tapping the air before turning to me. "And what would you like sir?"

I look at the menu, humming. Yes…

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

I still have no idea what any of the squiggles mean!

"I wish to have what she ordered." I say, pointing at Aurora, and the female nods.

"I'll have that right out to you." She says with a smile, turning around. Aurora's eyes squint as she looks at me, and I tilt my head.

"Yes?" I ask, and she turns her head to look out of the window instead of answering. I frown. I do not think I like Aurora.

Leo clears his throat, lacing his fingers together on the table. "I'll wait to discuss specifics about the training exercise until the others arrive, so… Mr. Waffles! I hear Gaster is doing well." Leo says, and Aurora stiffens as he says the name. "From what I understand, he wishes to take the Academy Trials once he's completed his mutation rehabilitation training."

I nod. "Mom was very upset." I confess, and Leo nods too in understanding.

"I can believe it. For a little I was worried she wouldn't allow you to join the Academy. Still, it would be good to have another class three applicant."

Aurora's head snaps back to look at Leo, her mouth opening. He jumps a bit in surprise, leaning back. "Gaster is class three!?" She hisses, and Leo hesitates before nodding.

"Y-yes, that is what his mutation placed him at." He says, and she huffs before rubbing her temples.

"Ah shit." She grumbles.

Smug. From what I have sensed of her Core, it is weaker than Gaster's is. "You will no longer be able to pick on Gaster." I gloat, and she glares at me.

"Shut it bed head." She snaps, and I bristle. I do not know what that means, but it sounded mean!

I tap my circlet, and wait a few moments.

"Yes JJ?" Mom asks over the link, and I glare at Aurora.

"Mom, what does bed head mean?" I ask, and for a few moments there is only silence over at our table. Aurora's mouth hangs open, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"Did you seriously just call your fucking mom-"

"It just means that you haven't brushed your hair. Why do you ask JJ?" Mom questions, but before I can reply she continues on. "Wait, did someone say something to you? Did Aurora say something to you?"

I nod, before I realize she cannot see me. Idiocy.

"Yes mom, she did. Is it mean?" I ask, and Aurora shakes her head in disbelief while Leo hangs his head, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Well you tell her that- what? No, honey, I am not overreacting, I need JJ to tell her- no, don't cut the li-" There is a boop from my circlet, and I can no longer hear mom's voice.

There is silence in the booth for a few moments. Leo hides his face in his hands, and Aurora shoots to her feet, slamming her hands on the table.

-

"This station is always a bit of a hassle to navigate." Hastin's Liaison says wryly, which draws a chuckle from him. "Still, I prefer it to Niminir's station. It's not nearly as crowded."

Hastin shrugs, his backpack raising with the action as he absentmindedly reaches into his jacket pocket to feel for his coin. Though he'd always felt comfortable in crowds, they were Niminir's crowds. There was just something different about each city's people, especially since most never left it once they arrived.

"I prefer the Niminir station, actually." He admitted as they passed through the congestion of bodies. "It's… I don't know. More familiar, maybe?"

The Liaison seems to consider this for a few moments, before nodding sympathetically. "That's right, I'd forgotten. You've only left Niminir once, right?" He asks, and Hastin nods back.

"Once too many." He says, only half-joking. If the Liaison caught the other, darker half to the statement, his laugh didn't show it.

"Well, you can officially mark this as trip number two. It's a good opportunity to get used to traveling, as once you graduate from the Academy and join either the Agency or RCO you'll be doing it far more often." He says, and Hastin nods reluctantly.

"If you look at it that way, I guess." He shrugs, and the Liaison taps the emblem on his uniform.

"You have to. Besides, the perks are nice. You'll be staying at a nice resort, courtesy of the Academy. Even if it's just for one night. A shame we could only secure the training for one day, but… with everything that's been going on recently, we were lucky to get an exercise approved as is." He hums, this time Hastin nods fully. He'd heard about the reemergence of the Hands from the gossip floating around in his home. His mom in particular had nearly withdrawn her approval for his travel to Sacison when she'd heard the recent news about what had happened in the city.

Which was ironic, considering how supportive she'd been just a few hours prior to hearing it.

The duo eventually made it to the security checkpoint that led into the central hub of the station. One quick badge wave from the Liaison later, and they were allowed right through without so much as a metal detector inspection.

"We'll be stopping by the Containment Office's armory before we head to the exercise area." The Liaison says, tucking his badge back beneath his shirt. "I assume you're up to date with your firearms training, correct?"

Hastin nods, and the Liaison pauses. "Hold up, new message from the Sacison Liaison. Looks like they stopped in for some refreshments while they're waiting for us. Ohh, and it's on him." He flashes Hastin a grin. "Make sure to go all out, that cheap bastard almost never offers to pay. Let's remind him why he doesn't."

Hastin laughs, nodding easily. The increased metabolism of a Class Four had left him hungry despite the meal offered on the train, so a snack before the exercise was just what he needed.

Once again weaving their way through the crowd, they eventually found themselves outside of a quaint cafe. A waitress approaches them, and the Liaison raises a hand. "We're meeting some people here, they should already be in a booth."

The waitress taps her circlet, then flashes them a pearly white smile. "Right this way please." She says, and they follow her into the cafe. Hastin had barely entered the cafe before he hears a loud thump further in the back, jumping slightly at the noise.

"I can't believe you called your fucking mom on me! What are you, five!?" A loud, feminine voice yells, and Hastin glances in the direction to see a young nuan girl standing with her hands planted firmly on the table in front of her. He can't quite see who she's yelling at, but there's a human man wearing a Liaison uniform beside her, holding his face in his hands. Hastin blinks, then turns to look at his own Liaison, whose eyebrows have risen considerably. He glances around him and notices the other patrons looking at the trio with a mixture of annoyance and amusement.

"You said something mean! And I am not five. I am…" He hears another voice respond with just as much indignation as the girl's, then falter as he seems to hesitate on saying his own age. "I am fourteen!"

Hastin's Liaison clears his throat, smiling awkwardly as he looks at Hastin. "I uh… think that might be them." He says quietly, and Hastin studies the girl again. Her hair is shorter than it was in her picture, but sure enough, he recognizes her as Aurora. "So… shall we?"

They both make their way to the booth as Aurora rolls her eyes. "Oh, big fourteen. Well you don't act like it, you act like a fucking toddler."

"You're a toddler." The other voice grumbles, and the Liaison next to them finally lifts his head from his hands, his face flushed with embarrassment.

"Could you please sit down Aurora? And both of you, lower your voices." He hisses, and Aurora looks around, seeming to just now notice the scene she was causing. She collapses back into her seat and crosses her arms over her chest, though not before her grey skin grows purple with shame. The duo finally arrives at the booth, and the Liaison looks up at both of them with an awkward smile.

"Ah… Hello, Carter." He greets his fellow Liaison, then turns to look at Hastin. "And you must be Mr. Illyon. Welcome to Sacison."

Hastin nodded at the Liaison. Having already seen the girl, who was glancing at him from out of the corner of her eye, he instead turned his head to study the owner of the other voice. He looked just as young as his voice had led him to believe, but there was something in his eyes as the boy studied him that immediately put him on edge.

Before he could study further, the Liaison cleared his throat. "Now that the last member of the team has arrived, I believe introductions are in order. I am Leo Pensenata, the Academy Liaison stationed in Sacison. This is Aurora Zainen, the Front Point of your team." Leo nodded towards the girl, before gesturing to the boy. "And he is Joey Waffles, who will for now act as the Executor until further assessment. As you can see, the Rift Expert, Rear Guard, and Advance Scout positions are empty, but we're working on finding suitable candidates. Everyone, the other Liaison is Carter Halison. And this is Hastin Illyon. He will be your Team Lead."

Aurora finally turned to look at him fully, looking him over before nodding. "What's up boss man." She greets, and Hastin nods back.

"Hello!" Joey exclaims, causing Hastin to jump at the abrupt volume he was assaulted by. "My name is Joey Waffles, and I am very polite!"