Trevor
Saturday, 24th of October, 198 A.C, 16:14
“Your squad will live and die by their safehouse. It’s a cache, a base of operations, a living space, and, depending on your MO, a fantastic PR opportunity.” - Excerpt from a Viridian Academy lecture by the Idol
You can do this.
I saw my destination ahead: the corner store. The walk here had been relatively peaceful, but once I went inside there would be no telling what dangers lay in store for me.
I began by doing a quick casing of the place. I had gotten here late to avoid the evening rush, but there was still a steady flow of people going in and out. That was bad, meant that it would be more about minimizing damage than avoiding it.
I took a deep breath, and headed in. Just getting through the door involved several accidental bumps and just as many apologies. I took a second to compose myself.
I would have to take a bit of a detour to get to the snack section while avoiding the largest crowds, but it turned out to be well worth it. The trip was uneventful, and soon I was staring down a wall of food.
I realized that I hadn’t yet decided what I was actually going to get. I wanted to make a good first impression for Kai and Beck, but I had no idea what kind of nosh they liked. Hadn’t thought to ask them earlier. What if I messed up and ended up being the only one eating anything? Quick way to look like an asshole.
Deep breaths.
I forced my thoughts in order, and decided that I should just get a variety of stuff. That way I’d have a stockpile afterwards, and I could choose things that the other squad members liked. It would be heavy on my wallet, but I’d rather make a cost-benefit analysis than a risk-reward one.
The advantage of spending so much time worrying about my choices was that before I knew it, I was at the checkout aisle. Making small talk was never fun. I tried to keep my brain turned off as much as possible and just make all the right responses, but errant worries and perceived awkwardness kept poking their way through.
At last the food was paid for, and I made my way outside. I heaved a sigh of relief as the tightness in my chest receded and I began my trek back to the safehouse.
***
As I walked into the boxy old building we called our safehouse, I noted the cracking walls and sagging structure. If we ever did hit it big, the first thing I would ask Sable for would be some serious renovation. Not that I didn’t appreciate the homey aesthetic, but I also appreciated not having to worry about the ceiling coming down on top of me.
I shut and locked the door and began the routine. First, my shoes went on a shelf by the entrance. Right now there was only one pair of them to keep my own company. Then I messaged the rest of the squad to let them know I was back. We didn’t have a security system yet, so we used our Chippers to let the others know that we weren’t an intruder.
After that came a quick sweep of the ground floor. The majority of it was taken up by a combined garage and armory, with a set of stairs on both the left and right side of the room. The two main things of note were the van that we used for missions and a workshop that took up much of the far wall. Thread, scraps of cloth, and other sewing materials were scattered around the latter, courtesy of Lily’s work putting the finishing touches on Beck and Kai’s outfits.
The only other thing of interest on the ground floor was a room in the back left corner. Its ceiling was considerably shorter than the rest of the floor. A ladder was leaned against the wall of the room to give access to the resulting platform which had just enough room to support a couch, a cooler, and a pre-Calamity TV I had lugged from outside city limits.
The door to the room was more or less the only bit of security our safehouse had. Sable had sprung for a fingerprint scanner integrated into the doorknob so only members of Impulse could open it. Inside was where we kept our most valuable gear, and where the trapdoor down to the basement was located.
The sounds of an intense fight came from the stairs on my right, accompanied by some appropriately spirited music. I headed up that way, food in tow.
“I’m back,” I said, opening the door to the living room, “And I think it’s my turn to use the TV.”
Yumi paused the cartoon she was watching, and rolled over to look at me. “Wow, you really went all out on the food, huh?”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t know what they would like, so I just got a bunch of stuff. Where should I put them?”
The other permanent resident of the safehouse made a lazy circle with her hand. “You can just leave them around here, they’ll show up soon.”
As I put the snacks on the coffee table she said, “How about we make a compromise? I’ll finish this episode up, and then we can play some games together while we wait.” That sounded good to me. I grabbed some controllers and picked out a fighting game.
While Sable and Darren liked to pretend that we used the meeting room as our gathering space, most of our group discussions ended up here in our living room. It had two couches, one facing the TV and the other crammed at a right angle against the end of the first one.
Other than that there was a glass coffee table in front of the couches, a grey rug under it all, and a few knick knacks that the squad had picked up over time, including Darren’s doctor’s bag and a few bookshelves filled with a combination of textbooks, literature, and comics packed in haphazardly.
Yumi and I were just getting into the game when we heard the entrance to the safehouse open. I paused the game (Just as well, she was beating the tar out of me) and twisted to look at the door.
As it turned out, I didn’t have to get my hopes up quite yet. A quick Chipper alert preceded Sarie clomping into the room, followed by the much lighter tread of Casey. They were both geared up and ready to babysit the newbies.
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As they took their seats, Sarie noticed the game we were playing. “Mind if I play the winner?”
No objections were raised, so after Yumi finished trouncing me I begrudgingly passed the controller over, watching as it quickly disappeared into the safety of Sarie’s cloak.
Casey, Veil on as always, had begun lounging on the couch while doing a bit of kibitzing on the game being played. Much to my dismay, she had already begun devouring the snacks I had brought. At the rate she was going, there wouldn’t be any left for Kai and Beck.
The sound of the door opening once more roused everyone in the living room to attention. A Chipper message danced across our eyes, confirming that the others had arrived.
Axel was the first through the doorway. His costume was nearly identical to what he had been wearing as his stand-in until now. The only difference of note was the addition of his Veil, the black and green gaiter that he had decided upon back in the warehouse. He had slid it down around his neck for the time being, a clever way of hiding its true nature.
Noticing the lukewarm reception, Axel quipped, “Alright, alright, contain your enthusiasm. I know I’m not the one you’re excited to see, but you could have at least pretended to look impressed.”
“No, no, you’re fine,” said Casey, giving him an uncomfortably hard slap on the back as he sat down. “Not your fault you’ve got the fashion sense of a green bean.”
Axel responded to this by stretching out lazily. “Hey, that’s an unfair comparison. So mean to green beans…”
Lily was the next one upstairs, presumably so she could introduce the other two herself. She spoke in an imitation of a sports announcer. “Guys, gals, and non-binary pals, I bid you good evening! Your wait is at long last over, as the preparations for our newest members are complete!”
At this Casey remarked, “Yes, the long wait of one whole week. Don’t keep us in suspense now, I can barely contain myself.”
Lily seemed to have been put slightly off balance by the comment, but she continued. “As I was saying, the costume designs for Beck and Kai are complete, and they have each picked a moniker to go along with their looks and abilities, which I will announce presently.”
Here she did a flourish as she stepped to the side and opened the door. “I present to you the daring dimension-hopper who dazzled us all with his Veil when we first met. This young man from Frontier has an endless taste for adventure and the skills to back it up. Determined to make his mark on the world, he will be known to history as the Duelist. Joining alongside him is one short in stature but vast in convictions. This latest addition to Impulse is a quick learner, always having one more trick up her sleeve. As for her name, I believe you will find it more than appropriate. This little munchkin has decided to make herself known to the world as the Scrapper.”
As she finished her oration, two figures emerged from the stairway into the room. On her right was The Duelist, rather short himself but still a head above his companion. He wore a black jacket, almost the length of a duster, that had a golden band running around the left forearm. It was unzipped in the front, revealing a midnight blue shirt with a golden stripe running from his right shoulder to his left hip.Topping off the look was black pants and a pair of sneakers, the left one gold and the right one midnight. He had chosen a scarf as his Veil, midnight with golden lines swirling down its length.
Certainly a bit much, but damn if it wasn’t oozing with style.
To his left was a girl of impish stature, her face hidden under a black and red kitsune mask. Her outfit gave the impression of a school uniform, with a white button-down shirt and red tie, along with a black and red plaid skirt, black compression shorts and calf-high socks, and white and red sneakers. She wore a white and red backpack, on which her baton was visibly strapped.
The assembled crowd measured up their newest squadmates for a while, each forming their own judgments of Lily’s handiwork.
Eventually Casey broke the silence. “Well, shit. That’s some good work, Lily. If only you could create something like that for yourself, instead of the mess you wear.”
Lily decided to ignore the last bit, though there was a bit of an edge in her voice as she said, “I’m glad you like them, I worked very hard to get them right.” She paused, checking her watch. “Oh, shit. Sorry, as much as I’d like to stay, my evening is pretty packed.”
With that, she turned and rushed back down the stairs.
Following a bit of an awkward silence due to the sudden departure, Sarie decided to properly welcome the newcomers. “Come on, make yourselves at home” she said, poking a hand out from her cloak to gesture towards the couches. “It’s nice to see you all kitted out and ready for action.”
“Alright,” The Scrapper started, “before anything else, can I take off the Veil for a sec? It’s, uh, kinda stuffy.”
“You really don’t have to ask that sort of thing here,” said Casey, reaching over and flicking Beck’s Veil up onto her forehead. “Just be sure it doesn’t go tumbling while we’re out and about.”
Beck’s now uncovered face briefly flashed in shock, then relaxed as she realized that this was Casey’s way of trying to break the ice.
Kai decided to lower his Veil as well, letting it hang around his neck. “Nice place you’ve got here.”
“Eehhhh,” I began, “It’s got its issues. You guys have seen, what, two rooms of it?”
“Yeah,” the Duelist responded, “but I’ve liked what I’ve seen. And either way, y’all can’t tell me it’s not cool having a real-life secret hideout.”
“True, true,” said Yumi. “Kai and I are probably a bit biased. Kinda hard to think of it as some secret base when we spend all our time here.”
“Oohhhhh,” said Beck, “You live here full-time? I suppose I should have guessed that could be the case. Sorry if this is rude to ask, but is there a reason?”
“Well,” I started, “not much to tell, really. Don’t have much waiting for us outside of Impulse, is all. But hey, that means we’ve got that much more energy to devote to the squad. Plus, just look at this kickass TV. Worth risking life and limb just for that sweet, sweet 32k screen and 360-degree integrated sound.”
“Wait, really?” Kai rushed over to the TV. “Wooaahhh, this thing is amazing! How’d you get your hands on something so top-grade?”
Axel chuckled. “Remember that Impulse is still a Veiled squad. Some of the others have the dough to make the rest of us feel a bit bougie from time to time. You’ve got Darren to thank for this particular puppy. He’s quite thrifty, actually, would definitely recommend going shopping with him sometime.”
Casey had begun bouncing her bat off her foot. “Alright, alright, let’s finish up with the chit chat and get moving already. We can discuss the plan on the way, but sitting here doing nothing is killing me!”
She got up, swinging her bat over her shoulder, and gestured for the others to follow.
Yumi called after the figures heading back down the stairs. “Alright, good luck guys! Kai, Beck, you guys are gonna kill it, I just know it!”
As soon as the group was out of earshot, she gave off a sigh and let herself slump back onto the couch. “Finally. I know that last week was our first meeting, but this felt like the *real* first impressions.”
I knew what she meant all too well. “Well, I think that you did just fine. Don’t worry, you’ll get comfortable with them soon.”
Yumi made a mocking face and said, “Oh, just don’t be nervous, why didn’t I think of that?” Then her expression softened. “I know what you’re trying to say though. I guess I’ll just have to tough it out for now, until things get easier. I mean, I went through the same thing with you and Axel. I just wish it wasn’t always this hard.”
Axel sat up. “Yeah, just give it some time. They seem like good kids, I’m sure you’ll get along.”
We sat there for a moment, before I decided to break the atmosphere a bit. “Looks like I didn’t have to worry so much about the snacks.”
The three of us glanced at the mound of food. It was still largely untouched, save for the Casey-sized dent. “I guess we’ve got no choice but to eat all this ourselves.”
“Guess so,” said Yumi.